Bacterial and Viral Causes of Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is an acute illness caused by the ingestion of food containing harmful bacteria. Foods may already have some bacteria on them when you buy them.

Causes of Food Contamination:

• Raw meat may become contaminated during the slaughter.
• Fruits and vegetables may be contaminated when they are growing or when they are being processed.
• Food contamination can also happen in your own kitchen if you are not using a clean utensil and if the working area is not clean enough.
• If food handlers do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.
• Foods that are left at room temperature (especially raw fish and meat) for more than 2 hours.
• Improperly packaged food stored at the wrong temperature.

Bacterial Cause of Food Poisoning: The different type of food poisoning is caused by different type of bacteria. These bacteria do not affect the appearance, flavor, or aroma of the foods that is why contaminated foods are not usually detected. But some bacteria, molds, and other organisms that cause obvious food spoilage are usually harmless.

1. Staphylococcal Food Poisoning is the most common form of food poisoning it occurs following the ingestion of food contaminated with enterotoxins of staphylococcal bacteria. These bacteria grow on many foods, particularly those containing milk and milk products.

• Symptoms: Vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, and they usually appear within one to five hours after the contaminated food is eaten.

• Treatments: No specific drug is available, but measures to relieve the symptoms and replace lost body fluids and salts are usually effective. Only rarely does death occur.

2. Botulism food poisoning occurs after eating food containing a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium cannot grow in the presence of oxygen and thrives in places that have no air, notably canned foods. Nearly all cases of botulism occur in people who have eaten home canned foods that were not properly processed; commercially canned goods are rarely implicated. Fortunately, contaminated foods are easily detected because it has an abnormal odor and flavor and sometimes their containers are swollen.

• Symptoms: Botulism food poisoning develop from 12 to 36 hours after the toxin is ingested. The toxin blocks the transmission of impulses in the autonomic nervous system, and early symptoms include double vision, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, and labored breathing. Death, which is usually due to respiratory paralysis, may occur within a few days.
• Treatments: There are no satisfactory methods of treating botulism, but an antitoxin may be effective in neutralizing any toxin that is still circulating in the blood and has not yet affected the nervous system.

3. Salmonella food poisoning is caused by certain bacteria of the genus Salmonella.

• Symptoms: Salmonella poisoning occur 7 to 72 hours after the organisms invade the gastrointestinal tract, and they include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and watery, foul smelling diarrhea. Sometimes headaches, chills, faintness, and thirst also occur.

4. Streptococcal food poisoning, streptococcus faecalis and some other related species of bacteria cause this mild form of food poisoning.

• Symptoms: Nausea and vomiting and may begin 5 to 18 hours after the food is eaten.
• Treatments: There is no specific treatment required, and recovery generally occurs within 24 hours.

5. Campylobacter is the most commonly identified food-borne bacterial infection encountered throughout the world. It is transmitted by raw poultry, raw milk, and water contaminated by animal feces.

6. Escherichia coli (E coli) there are many different types of this bacteria. The worst strain can cause kidney failure and death, this is transmitted by eating raw or undercooked hamburger, unpasteurized milk or juices, or contaminated well water.

• Symptoms: moderate to severe illness that begins as large amounts of watery diarrhea, which then turns into bloody diarrhea

Viral Cause of Food Poisoning:

1. Noroviruses are group of viruses that cause a mild illness, it is often called as "stomach flu". This is the most common viral cause of adult food poisoning and is transmitted from water, shellfish, and vegetables contaminated by feces.

• Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, and slight fever. These symptoms are usually resolved in two to three days.

2. Rotavirus is the most common cause of food poisoning in infants and children and is transmitted from person to person by fecal contamination of food.

• Symptoms: Moderate to severe illness with vomiting followed by watery diarrhea and fever.

3. Hepatitis A is transmitted from person to person by fecal contamination of food.

• Symptoms: mild illness with sudden onset of fever, loss of appetite and feeling of tiredness followed by jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes).

General Treatment: For minor food poisoning increasing your fluid intake and eating a large amount of garlic and for a more serious illness, you may need to go to the hospital.