Food Poisoning
Eating organisms or toxins in contaminated food.
Affect one person or an outbreak in a group of people.
Infants and elderly people - high risk.
caused by:
Staph aureus
E. coli enteritis
Salmonella
Shigella
Campylobacter
Cholera
Botulism
Symptoms
Common poisoning start within 2 - 6 hours of eating the food
Longer or shorter - depending on the toxin or organism
Symptoms include:
Nausea/vomiting
Abdominal cramps/pain
Diarrhoea
Fever
Weakness
Headache
Complications
Dehydration
Prolonged diarrhoea.
Temporary lactose intolerance afterwards.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (E.coli)
Staph aureus food poisoning
Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Contaminates food products served or stored at room temperature - desserts.
Prepared by a person with a skin infection.
Full recovery - 24 to 48 hours - no antibiotics.
E. coli enteritis
Caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) – enterotoxigenic form.
Toxins or bacterial invasion into the intestine.
Common cause for traveller’s diarrhoea.
Common cause in children.
Recover in 1 - 3 days - no antibiotics for most.
Shigellosis
Acute infection
Organisms - Shigella dysentriae, S.flexneri, S. boydii
Incubation 2 days.
Acute onset – fever, abdominal pain, watery diarrhoea,
Can be blood and mucus diarrhoea.
Can be vomiting, convulsions.
Self limiting – symptomatic treatment.
Campylobacter enteritis
Caused by Campylobacter jejuni.
Contaminated food or water - raw poultry, fresh produce, or milk.
Incubation 2-4 days.
Symptoms generally last one week.
Self limiting – no antibiotics needed for most case.
Salmonellosis
S. typhi, S.paratyphi, S.choleraesuis, S.enteritidis
Thermal death point – 60°c but can survive sometime in dry & freezing condition.
Transmit by contaminated food or water.
Eggs, poultry products.
Colonize in small intestine and peyer’s patches.
Enter to blood.
Clinical syndrome
Food poisoning
Enteric fever – typhoid/paratyphoid fever.
Enterocolitis
Extra-intestinal focal – osteomyelitis.