--- title: "The Litigated Dish: Salmonella symptoms and incubation periods" date: 2024-02-21T16:20:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/the-litigated-dish-salmonella-symptoms-and-incubation-periods" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Case News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news) / # The Litigated Dish: Salmonella symptoms and incubation periods **By Ilana Korchia** I think I’ll talk about Salmonella in my next few posts. Wondering why? Well, I recently discovered that the search volume (or the number of monthly searches) for “Salmonella” is nine times greater than that of “foodborne illness”. Of the 165,000 monthly Google searches related to Salmonella, one of the most frequently asked questions is, “Are Salmonella symptoms immediate?” This is a question worth exploring. Let me introduce you to a key phrase in the world of food safety: Incubation period. The incubation period is the time it takes for a person to become ill (i.e., develop symptoms) after consuming a contaminated food product. Different pathogens have different incubation periods. For Salmonella, the incubation period typically ranges from 12 to 36 hours, though it can be as short as six hours or as long as one or two weeks. This relatively short incubation period stands in contrast to Listeria, another bacterium, which has an extremely variable incubation period spanning from three to 70 days. I often advise my clients that what made them sick might not be the last thing they ate before symptoms appeared; it is more likely something they consumed 12 or more hours, or even a few days, ago (unless it’s Staph food poisoning). To give you a better understanding of incubation periods, I’ve created a handy table. **Pathogen** **Bacteria, virus, or parasite?** **Typical incubation period** Botulism (C. botulinum) Bacteria 12 to 36 hours Campylobacter Bacteria 2 to 5 days Cyclospora Parasite ~1 week C. perfringens Bacteria 6 to 24 hours Escherichia coli (E. coli) Bacteria 3 to 4 days Hepatitis A Virus 2 to 4 weeks Listeria Bacteria 3 to 70 days Norovirus Virus 12 to 48 hours Salmonella Bacteria 12 to 36 hours Shigella Bacteria 1 to 2 days Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria 30 minutes to 6 hours Vibrio spp. Bacteria 1 to 3 days ### Other Salmonella Lawsuits [64 with Salmonella tied to Oysters](https://marlerclark.com/64-with-salmonella-tied-to-oysters) [Vega Farms Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 63](https://marlerclark.com/vega-farms-salmonella-outbreak-sickens-63) [Green Supplement causes Salmonella Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/green-supplement-causes-salmonella-outbreak) [Salmonella Outbreak tied to Metabolic 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2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Salmonella Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/about-salmonella) What is Salmonella and how does it cause food poisoning? The term Salmonella refers to a specific group of gram-negative bacteria with the potential to cause gastrointestinal distress and other... ###### [The Incidence of Salmonella Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/the-incidence-of-salmonella-infections) Typhoidal Salmonella Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi, Sendai, and Paratyphi A, B, or C are found exclusively in humans. These serotypes, collectively referred to as typhoidal Salmonella, cause enteric fever (also... ###### [The Prevalence of Salmonella in Food and Elsewhere](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/the-prevalence-of-salmonella-in-food-and-elsewhere) Most Salmonella infections are caused by eating contaminated food. One study found that 87% of all confirmed cases of Salmonella are foodborne. Foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, eggs... ###### [Transmission of Salmonella Bacteria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/transmission-of-salmonella-bacteria) In the past two decades, consumption of produce, especially sprouts, tomatoes, fruits, leafy greens, nuts, and nut butters, has been associated with Salmonella illnesses. The surface of fruits and vegetables... ###### [Symptoms of Salmonella Infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella/salmonella-symptoms-risks) Symptoms of Salmonella infection include painful abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever. Salmonella infections can have a broad range of illness, from no symptoms to severe illness. The most common clinical... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)