Children who suffer Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis are more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) later in life, according to a new study released this month in the journal Gastroenterology. Italian researchers collected data from victims of a 1994 culture-proven foodborne Salmonella enteritidis outbreak that involved 1,811 patients in Bolognia, Italy. Study participants included a cohort of 250 adults exposed to Salmonella as children, 127 individuals exposed as adults, and a cohort of 250 non-exposed adults matched for number, age, sex and area of residence were interviewed for the study. Results showed that the prevalence of IBS was higher in individuals exposed to Salmonella as children than in non-infected controls, but that individuals exposed to Salmonella as adults were not more likely to have IBS than controls. They also showed that post-infectious IBS was independently associated with anxiety and functional dyspepsia, which causes pain and sometimes other symptoms in the upper abdomen. Salmonella infection is characterized by acute gastroenteritis, including diarrhea and abdominal cramps. People with Salmonellosis typically recover without treatment within three to seven days; however, approximately 20 percent of cases require hospitalization. The overall percentage of individuals who develop IBS secondary to Salmonella infections is unknown.