Food Poisoning--An Overview
What is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning results when you eat food contaminated with
bacteria or other pathogens such as parasites or viruses. Your
symptoms may range from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever,
vomiting, abdominal cramps and dehydration. Most such infections
go undiagnosed and unreported.
But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
each year about 76 million people in the United States become
ill from pathogens in food, and about 5,000 of them die.
Over 55% of such cases are caused by improper cooking and
storage of foods, and 24% by poor hygiene, such as not washing
your hands while preparing food. Only 3% of cases are from
unsafe food sources. Keeping your hands clean while working with
food is the single most important thing you can do to prevent
food poisoning.
About 20 organisms can cause food poisoning. After you eat food
contaminated with bacteria, they will multiply in your stomach
and bowels. Some bacteria give off a toxin when they multiply.
As a result, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea
occur. Vomiting and diarrhea are the body's way of eliminating
the toxin, and most cases of food poisoning run their course
without needing medical attention.
Not all invasive organisms cause vomiting as a symptom, but
almost all of them cause diarrhea. Blood in your stool occurs in
many types of food poisoning and is considered to be serious.
Abdominal cramps are also common, and sometimes you will have a
fever. Be sure to contact a physician if a fever or bloody
stools are present.
Common Sources of Food Poisoning
Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning
in the USA. It causes several million cases a year, resulting in
hundreds of deaths. Eating undercooked chicken or food that has
been in contact with raw chicken most commonly causes
campylobacter. The Center for Disease Control estimates that up
to 70%-90% of chickens are infected with campylobacter.
To prevent the disease, cook chicken thoroughly, with no pink
remaining. Wash your hands frequently when handling raw chicken.
Use paper towels to dry your hands. If you are using a sponge or
dish-cloth to clean the counters, use a fresh one after working
with raw chicken. Wash your cutting board with a diluted bleach
solution before using again. And any utensils or dishes having
contact with raw chicken need to be washed and rinsed with soap
and water before using again.
E. coli 0157: H7 infection causes an estimated 25,000 cases of
food poisoning each year in the USA. Most of these result from
undercooked, contaminated ground beef. The organism lives in the
intestines of healthy cows. Meat can become contaminated during
slaughter when intestinal fecal matter is mixed with beef that
is ground into hamburger. Contaminated meat looks and smells
normal, so it is not readily detectable. Bacteria on cow udders
or milking machines can also contaminate raw milk.
To prevent this form of food poisoning, cook all ground beef
until no pink is showing. Make sure all of the meat juices are
clear, not pink or red, and that the inside of the meat is hot.
If you are served an undercooked hamburger in a restaurant, send
it back. Consume only pasteurized milk products, and drink only
water treated with chlorine or other disinfectants.
Botulism is caused by clostridium botulinum, a spore-forming
bacteria. This form of food poisoning is very rare, but can be
life-threatening. It may result from eating improperly
processed, low-acid foods such as green beans, mushrooms,
spinach, olives and beef or fish. Improper home canning methods
often account for botulism cases. Improperly processed
commercial products can also cause this serious disorder.
To avoid botulism, don't even taste canned food that is soft,
deteriorating, fermenting or doesn't smell right. It isn't worth
a life-threatening illness. When in doubt, throw it out.
Infant botulism is more common in spring and summer, and is rare
in winter. Infants younger than one year of age are at the
highest risk. Symptoms include muscle weakness, a weak cry,
difficulty in feeding, constipation, head lag, increased heart
rate and a decreased gag reflex. A baby with botulism is
described as a "floppy baby," as the infant will have weak
muscles, especially in the arms, legs and neck.
Infant botulism has been associated with eating honey. The
Center for Disease Control suggests that honey should not be
given to infants under six months old, and the Honey Industry
Council extends the safety limit to one year. Honey is not an
essential food for infants, and should never be given to them.
Summary of Food Poisoning
Most symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and
diarrhea are due to viral infections and are not true cases of
food poisoning. An accurate diagnosis can be difficult because
the pathogenic organisms are found in different kinds of food
and have varying incubation periods. Also, eating a substance
and getting sick immediately afterwards is not the typical
course for food poisoning. Most people are not aware that food
eaten several days previously can be the cause of food
poisoning. Always be sure to consult a physician when
experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Information in this article was gathered from the Safety
Information website at
http://wellness.ucdavis.edu/safety_info/poison_prevention/poison_
book/food_poisoning.html and the National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse website at
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bacteria/index.htm
.