Food-Borne Illness

Your head aches, you feel nauseated, and you have a fever. No, you do not have the flu, but you do have a case of food-borne illness.

Food-borne illness is caused by bacteria known as "pathogens". Of the thousands of types of bacteria that are naturally present in our environment, only a few types cause millions of cases of food-borne illness each year. Not all bacteria cause disease, however; some bacteria are used in the process of making cheese and yogurt.

Most cases of food-borne illness can be prevented. Bacteria can be destroyed through proper cooking or processing of food. Although bacteria can be found in any food, they prefer protein foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, beans, and also grains.

Almost no food is safe, even those bought at the store. Plastic-wrapped meat and poultry were once part of live animals and should be treated as contaminated products. Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are not sterile. Produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons are not sterile either. Even safely cooked, ready-to-eat foods can become cross-contaminated with bacteria.

Bacteria are able to multiply rapidly between 40° and 140°F. Always remember to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Food should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F, (145°F for roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal and lamb). If reheated, food should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

If you suspect that you are the victim of a food-borne illness remember to:

• Preserve the evidence. Any portion of the contaminated food should be wrapped securely, marked with "Danger" and refrigerated. Write down the food type, the date and time consumed, and when the onset of symptoms occurred. You should also save any identical unopened products.
• Seek treatment as necessary. Seek medical care if the victim is in an "at risk" group, (infants, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems), or if symptoms persist or are severe.
• Call the local health department- if the suspect food was served at a large gathering, from a restaurant or other food service facility, or if it is a commercial product.
• Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. Call if the suspect food is a USDA inspected product and you have all the packaging.

Here are the profiles of nine prominent bacteria:

Campylobacter jejuni
Source: intestinal tract of animals and birds, raw milk, untreated water, and sewage sludge.
Transmission: contaminated water, raw milk, and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish.
Symptoms: fever, headache and muscle pain followed by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain and nausea that appear 2 to 5 days after eating; may last 7 to 10 days.

Clostridium botulinum
Source: widely distributed in nature; soil, water, on plants, and intestinal tracts of animals and fish. Grows only in little or no oxygen.
Transmission: bacteria produce a toxin that causes illness. Improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, vacuum-packaged and tightly wrapped food.
Symptoms: Toxin affects the nervous system. Symptoms usually appear within 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear as few as 4 hours or as many as 8 days after eating; double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble speaking and swallowing, and difficulty breathing. Fatal in 3 to 10 days if not treated.

Clostridium perfringens
Source: soil, dust, sewage, and intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Grows only in little or no oxygen.
Transmission: called the "cafeteria germ" because many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature. Bacteria destroyed by cooking, but some toxin-producing spores may survive.
Symptoms: diarrhea and gas pains may appear 8 to 24 hours after eating; usually last about 1 day, but less severe symptoms may persist for 1 to 2 weeks.

Escherichia coli 0157:H7
Source: intestinal tracts of some mammals, raw milk, un-chlorinated water; one of several strains of E. coli that can cause human illness.
Transmission: contaminated water, raw milk, raw or rare ground beef, un-pasteurized apple juice or cider, uncooked fruits and vegetables; person-to-person.
Symptoms: diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and malaise; can begin 2 to 5 days after food is eaten, lasting about 8 days. Some, especially the very young, have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) that causes acute kidney failure. A similar illness, thrombotic thrombocytopenic pur-pura (TTP), may occur in older adults.

Salmonella (over 1600 types)
Source: intestinal tract and feces of animals; Salmonella enteritidis in raw shell eggs.
Transmission: raw or under-cooked eggs, poultry, and meat; raw milk and dairy products; seafood.
Symptoms: stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever, and headache usually appear 6 to 48 hours after eating; may last 1 to 2 days.

Streptococcus A
Source: noses, throats, pus, sputum, blood, and stool of humans.
Transmission: people to food from poor hygiene, ill food handlers or improper food handling. Outbreaks from raw milk, ice cream, eggs, lobster, salads, custard, and pudding allowed to stand at room temperature for several hours between preparation and eating.
Symptoms: sore throat, painful swallowing, tonsillitis, high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, malaise; occurs 1 to 3 days after eating, lasting a few days to about a week.

Listeria monocytogenes
Source: intestinal tracts of humans and animals, milk, soil, leaf vegetables, and processed foods; can grow slowly at refrigerator temperatures.
Transmission: soft cheese, raw milk, improperly processed ice cream, raw leafy vegetables, meat, and poultry. Illness caused by bacteria, which do not produce toxin.
Symptoms: fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes abdominal pain and diarrhea; 12 hours to 3 weeks; may later develop more serious illness (meningitis or spontaneous abortion in pregnant women); sometimes just fatigue.

Shigella (over 30 types)
Source: human intestinal tract; rarely found in other animals.
Transmission: person-to-person by fecal-oral route; fecal contamination of food and water. Most outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers using poor personal hygiene.
Symptoms: disease referred to as "shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhea containing blood and mucus, fever, abdominal cramps, chills, and vomiting; 12 to 50 hours from ingestion of bacteria; can last a few days to 2 weeks. Sometimes, no symptoms are seen.

Staphylococcus aureus
Source: on humans (skin, infected cuts, pimples, noses, and throats).
Transmission: people to food through improper food handling. Multiply rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness.
Symptoms: severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 1 to 6 hours after eating; recovery within 2 to 3 days - longer if severe dehydration occurs.