As you continue to celebrate the holidays, the Journal of Food Protection has issued an alert. According to recent research, salmonella can live for up to six months in cookies and crackers. Salmonella poisoning, which was coined after American scientist Daniel Salmon, is a bacterium that causes pronounced diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramping for 12-72 hours, usually completing fully its course without treatment in 4-7 days. In more serious contractions of the illness, death can incur. On average, 380 Americans die from salmonella each year. Animal foods, such as beef, fish, and poultry, are the most common sources of salmonella; however, vegetables, fruits, and processed foods can also contain and carry the bacteria. It was thought by scientists that the salmonella bacteria could only survive in moist environments. Recent research, however, confirms its sustenance in dry environments as well. Measures to decrease salmonella incidence include cleaning food sources promptly after direct food contact.