Also known as food-borne illness, food poisoning is determined by eating contaminated, toxic or spoiled food. The most common infectious organisms are viruses, parasites Related post and bacteria or their toxins. These infectious organisms or their toxins can contaminate food at any point of processing or production. Contamination can also appear at home if food is not correctly handled or cooked.
Usually, the symptoms of food poisoning can start within hours of eating the contaminated food and they include vomiting, diarrhea or nausea. You don’t need to panic because food poisoning is often mild and resolves without a certain treatment.
The symptoms of food-borne illness are various depending on the source of contamination, but most types of food poisoning can cause one, maybe more of the following signs and symptoms:
As we said, these signs may appear within hours after eating the contaminated food or even after a couple of days. The sickness which is caused by food-borne illness generally lasts from a few hours to several days. However, its symptoms can get worse and you can experience the followings:
As we said, food poisoning is often mild, so you don’t have to worry about it, but if you experience any of the following signs you should visit your doctor as soon as possible for medical attention.
Contamination can occur at any moment of production—while growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping or preparing. The most common cause is cross-contamination which is actually the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another one. Ready-to-eat foods such as salads are often contaminated, because they aren’t cooked. There are many dangers that could cause food-borne illness.
The table below will show you some of the most common contaminants; when you may start to feel the symptoms and common ways the organism is spread.
| Contaminant | Onset of symptoms | Foods affected and means of transmission |
|---|---|---|
| Campylobacter | 2 to 5 days | Meat and poultry. Contamination occurs during processing if animal feces contact meat surfaces. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and contaminated water. |
| Clostridium botulinum | 12 to 72 hours | Home-canned foods with low acidity, improperly canned commercial foods, smoked or salted fish, potatoes baked in aluminum foil, and other foods kept at warm temperatures for too long. |
| Clostridium perfringens | 8 to 16 hours | Meats, stews and gravies. Commonly spread when serving dishes don’t keep food hot enough or food is chilled too slowly. |
| Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 | 1 to 8 days | Beef contaminated with feces during slaughter. Spread mainly by undercooked ground beef. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and apple cider, alfalfa sprouts, and contaminated water. |
| Giardia lamblia | 1 to 2 weeks | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Hepatitis A | 28 days | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Listeria | 9 to 48 hours | Hot dogs, luncheon meats, unpasteurized milk and cheeses, and unwashed raw produce. Can be spread through contaminated soil and water. |
| Noroviruses (Norwalk-like viruses) | 12 to 48 hours | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Rotavirus | 1 to 3 days | Raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Salmonella | 1 to 3 days | Raw or contaminated meat, poultry, milk, or egg yolks. Survives inadequate cooking. Can be spread by knives, cutting surfaces or an infected food handler. |
| Shigella | 24 to 48 hours | Seafood and raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 1 to 6 hours | Meats and prepared salads, cream sauces, and cream-filled pastries. Can be spread by hand contact, coughing and sneezing. |
| Vibrio vulnificus | 1 to 7 days | Raw oysters and raw or undercooked mussels, clams, and whole scallops. Can be spread through contaminated seawater. |
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