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A number of people cycle through the lists, the chatrooms and the message
boards that claim that they can't eat normal food because they get various
bad symptoms after eating. Since I have no way of knowing whether they're
just experiencing food poisoning or if they've actually checked things
out thoroughly, I don't feel it's my place to say, either way. :)
However, I can offer some illustrative examples of food poisoning so
that you have a better chance of figuring it out for yourself. As always,
how sick someone gets from bad food (I've seen extremes of hardly effected
to laid up for a week feeling like they want to die) will depend on your
immune system, and your current state of health, nutritional and otherwise.
BASIC FOOD POISONING INFORMATION
An estimated 55% of (USA) food poisoning cases are caused by improper
cooking and storage of foods, and 24% by poor hygiene (not washing hands
before handling food). Only 3% of cases are from an unsafe food source.
Keeping your hands clean while working with food is the single most
important thing you can do to prevent food poisoning.
Several organisms can cause food poisoning. After eating food contaminated
with bacteria, the bacteria multiply in the stomach and the bowels.
Some bacteria give off a toxin when they multiply. As a result, nausea,
vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea commonly occur. Vomiting and
diarrhea are the body's way of eliminating the toxin. Although the experience
is unpleasant, most common cases of food poisoning run their course
without needing medical attention provided the person has a normal immune
system.
Most cases of gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal
cramps and diarrhea) are due to viral infections and are not true cases
of food poisoning. Diagnosis of true food poisoning is difficult because
many different organisms are found in different kinds of food and all
have different incubation periods. Not all food poisoning organisms
cause vomiting as a symptom but almost all organisms cause diarrhea.
Blood in the stool is seen in several types of food poisoning and is
considered a serious symptom. Abdominal cramps are common, even if vomiting
is not present. Fever is infrequent but may be seen. Contact a doctor
if a fever or bloody stools are present.
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 (due
to the varying incupation period of various pathogens). As with any
illness, the symptoms you actually get will vary according to the variety
of food-borne pathogen encountered, and the resistance of the individual
to such illnesses.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A
DOCTOR?
Young children, elderly people and people with severe medical conditions
are at a highest risk of dehydration (from diarrhea and/or vomiting)
due to food poisoning. Contact your doctor if there is:
- Diarrhea lasting longer than 24 hours
- Vomiting lasting longer than 12 hours
- Blood in the stool
- Fever
- Vomiting and diarrhea that are so intense
that severe muscle cramping and pain occurs
- An inability to keep down any liquids at all
for 12 hours.
HOW CAN YOU PREVENT FOOD-BORNE
PATHOGENS?
The first step in preventing food poisoning is to assume that all foods
may cause food-borne illness. Follow these steps to prevent food poisoning:
- Wash hands, food preparation surfaces and utensils
thoroughly before and after handling raw foods to prevent recontamination
of cooked foods.
- Wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom.
- Keep refrigerated foods below 40 degrees F.
- Serve hot foods immediately or keep them heated
above 140 degrees F.
- Divide large volumes of food into small portions
for rapid cooling in the refrigerator. Hot, bulky foods in the refrigerator
can raise the temperature of foods already cooled.
- Remember the danger zone is between 40 degrees
F and 140 degrees F.
- Follow approved home-canning procedures if you
choose to
 can
and store foods at home. These can be obtained from places such
as USDA bulletins.
- Heat canned foods thoroughly before tasting.
- When in doubt, throw it out!!!
If you are in the food service profession, reading this should help
you understand why it's a requirement to ALWAYS wash your hands after
using the bathroom. Here is a listing of the more common causes of food
poisoning cases. There is a glossary of selected terms at the bottom
of this page.
Remember: This is not a complete
list - only common causes!
BACILLUS
Incubation period: 8-16 hours
Duration: Up to 24 hours
Symptoms:
Cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
Cause:
Bacillus Cereus: Anaerobic bacteria that produce spores and are found
in soil and any food. This bacteria causes two forms of illness - the
emetic variety (making you throw up), and the diarrhea version.
BOTULISM
Incubation period: 12-36 hours
- death can occur within 24 hours if severe infection (.5 to 1.5 days)
Duration: 30-100 days, sometimes
as long as a year
Symptoms:
Sore throat, vomiting, slurred speech, double/blurred vision, cramps,
dry mouth, diarrhea, weak muscles and difficulty breathing. This toxin
affects the nerves and if untreated, can cause paralysis and respiratory
failure.
Cause:
Clostridium botulinium: Anaerobic bacteria that form spores with a high
resistance to heat. Found in animal intestines, water contaminated with
fecal matter, and soil. Spores are highly resistant to destruction.
Pressure cooking at 240° F (120° C) for 30 minutes can kill
spores. The bacteria (not the spores) are readily destroyed by boiling
at 212° F (100° C) for 10 minutes or heating to 176° F (80°
C) for 30 minutes.
Notes:
Fatality rate (untreated) is up to 25%. Diagnosis can be complicated
by being confused with other muscle weakness disorders such as Guillain-Barre
syndrome, myasthenia gravis, polio, encephalitis, diphtheria, and various
adverse drug reactions, etc. Accurate diagnosis is essential!
CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS
Incubation period: 2-10 days
Duration: 7-10 days, relapses common
Symptoms:
Diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal cramping and pain, nausea and vomiting,
fever, tiredness, headache
Cause:
Campylobacter jejuni, C. fetus, and C. coli are the types that usually
cause campylobacteriosis in people. C. jejuni causes most cases of the
illness.
E. COLI
Incubation period: 2-5 days
Duration: up to 9 days, commonly
about 4 days
Symptoms:
Abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, grossly bloody diarrhea described
as "all blood and no stool", abdominal pain described as equal
in intensity to labor pains, vomiting (occasional), tiredness
Cause:
Escherichia coli is a common organism found in the intestinal tract
of man and animals and, like some other potential pathogens, it is also
readily found in damp, ambient temperature environments e.g. soil, vegetation,
moist or wet areas in factories, untreated water etc. There are many
types and strains of E.coli, a few of which are potentially pathogenic.
It grows when there is inadequate cooking and/or recontamination of
cooked product. Can grow at refrigeration temperatures.
Notes:
In 2% to 7% of cases, the bacteria may cause kidney failure.
ERGOTISM
Incubation period: Varies by individual
Duration: Varies by individual
Symptoms:
Hallucinations, convulsions, gangrene of extremities
Cause:
Ergot: a mold that grows on wheat and rye. Also found in pesticides
on fruits and vegetables, cyanide in silver polish, zinc inside tin
cans and copper pans.
HEPATITIS, INFECTIOUS A/E
Incubation Hep A: 2-6 weeks / Hep
E: 10-50 days
Duration Hep A: 3-9 months / Hep
E: 6 months or more
Symptoms:
Jaundice, fever, cramps, nausea, lethargy
Cause:
Hepatitis A/E: grows in feces of infected humans and human carriers.
Transmitted by water and from person to person and infects the liver.
PERFRINGENS
Incubation period: 8-22 hours
Duration: Commonly 24 hours, but
can be up to 2 weeks
Symptoms:
diarrhea, nausea, cramps, possible fever, vomiting (rare)
Cause:
Clostridium Perfringens: spore-forming anaerobic bacteria that can withstand
most cooking temperatures and are found in soil, dust and the intestinal
tract of animals. The only way to kill the spores is to pressure cook
at 15-pounds steam pressure to reach 250 degrees (F).
Notes:
The necrotic enteritis form is very rare in the USA, but when it occurs,
is often fatal.
SALMONELLA
Incubation period: 6-48 hours (.25
to 2 days)
Duration: 5-7 days
Symptoms:
Headache, severe diarrhea, cramps, fever. Can be fatal or lead to arthritis,
meningitis and typhoid.
Cause:
Salmonella: Aerobic bacteria that lives and grows in the intestines
of humans, animals, birds and insects. Commonly an issue with eggs or
egg products. Bacteria can be found on the eggshell as well as inside
the egg.
SHIGELLOSIS
Incubation period: 12-48 hours
(.5 to 2 days)
Duration: 5-7 days
Symptoms:
Watery or bloody diarrhea, cramps, fever, dehydration. Tiredness, nausea
and vomiting. Diarrhea may last for months after the disease is no longer
there.
Cause:
Shigella dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. boydii, and S. sonnei: Outbreaks
of shigellosis frequently occur in tropical or temperate climates, especially
in areas with severe crowding and/or poor hygiene, which sometimes occur
in day care and institutional settings. Some people have no symptoms
but can still pass the bacteria to others. An extremely low number of
organisms (10-100) is needed to transmit Shigella.
STAPHYLOCOCCUS
Incubation period: 1-7 hours, 2-4
being most common
Duration: 2-3 days
Symptoms:
Vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramps
Cause:
Staphylococcus aureus: Facultative bacteria found in the nose, throat,
and in skin infections of humans. Bacteria CANNOT be destroyed by heat.
Man's respiratory passages, skin and superficial wounds are common sources
of S. aureus. Commonly found in foods requiring a lot of physical handling
such as chicken/tuna/potato salads, and anything left in the temperature
"danger zone" for too long.
STREPTOCOCCUS
Incubation period: 1-4 days
Duration: Unknown
Symptoms:
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Cause:
Various species of Streptococcus bacteria which are facultative anaerobes.
Some are transmitted by animals and workers contaminated with feces,
others from the nose and throat of infected humans.
Notes:
Untreated strep infections can lead to rheumatic fever, which itself
runs the risk of rheumatic heart disease when it attacks the heart valves
(if it damages the heart valves seriously enough, you WILL require eventual
heart transplant) , as well as other complications.
TRICHINELLOSIS
Incubation period: 4-28 days
Duration: mild symptoms, 2-3 weeks.
Severe symptoms, 2-3 months - can be fatal
Symptoms:
Fever, diarrhea, sweating, muscle pain, vomiting, skin lesions
Cause:
Trichinella Spiralis: a spiral worm that lives in the intestines where
it matures and lays eggs and later invades muscle tissue. Transmitted
by infected swine and rats. Once infected, the worms lay eggs in the
intestinal tract. Once they hatch, the larvae migrate throughout the
muscles. Swelling, generalized pain, fever, heart problems and other
symptoms will develop at that point.
Notes:
Factors that may impact morbidity are the quantity of larvae ingested,
the species of Trichinella (most notably T spiralis), and the immune
status of the host patient. Patients succumb to exhaustion, pneumonia,
pulmonary embolism, encephalitis, or cardiac failure and/or arrhythmia.
Death from trichinellosis usually occurs in 4-8 weeks but may occur
as early as in 2-3 weeks.
TYPHOID FEVER
Typhpoid incubation: 3-56 days,
commonly 7-14 days
Paratyphoid incubation: 1-10 days
Duration: 4 weeks
Symptoms:
Headache, severe diarrhea, cramps, fever. Can be fatal or lead to arthritis,
meningitis and typhoid.
Cause:
Salmonella Typhi: Aerobic bacteria that lives and grows in the intestines
of humans, animals, birds and insects.
GLOSSARY:
Aerobic: Growing or thriving only
in the presence of atmospheric oxygen.
Anaerobic: An organism, such as
a bacterium, that can live in the absence of atmospheric oxygen. Not
requiring air or oxygen for life; -- applied especially to those microbes
to which free oxygen is unnecessary
Facultative: Capable of functioning
under varying environmental conditions. Used to refer to certain organisms,
such as bacteria, that can live with or without oxygen.
This site contains articles on various medical
topics; however, no warranty whatsoever is made that any of the articles
are accurate - and even if a statement made about medical matters is
accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. These
medical articles are provided on a general informational basis only
- nothing on this site should be construed as an attempt to offer or
render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.
Even though the authors may be capable of
doing extensive research, it must be understood that neither SphynxCatVP,
nor the rest of the contributors, are doctors, despite the presence
of any books of the medical profession in the personal libraries of
any of the authors. Any such articles are thusly written, in part or
in whole, by nonprofessionals. Consequently, there is absolutely no
guarantee that any statement contained or cited in an article touching
on medical matters is true, precise, or up-to-date.
At best, you can use the article to strike
up a conversation with your doctor or other medical professional ABOUT
your symptoms, and share any concerns you may have for them to investigate.
The medical information provided by this site is of a general nature
and CANNOT legally be considered a substitute for the advice of a medical
professional.
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