Food Poisoning

Description

Food Poisoning is a general term for symptoms caused by the ingestion of toxins that are present in Foods.

Detrimental Bacteria

    Various forms of Detrimental Bacteria may contaminate foods which may not visibly appear to be spoiled.

 Bacillus cereus may cause Food Poisoning:

 Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning results from the ingestion of preformed enterotoxins, producing predominantly Vomiting and Diarrhea.  The Vomiting form is most often associated with ingestion of a heat stable toxin from contaminated Rice, while the Diarrhea form is most often associated with ingestion of a heat labile toxin from contaminated Meat or Vegetables.

            The Vomiting form occurs within 1 - 6 hours (average 2 hours) following ingestion while the Diarrhea form occurs from 8 - 12 hours (average 9 hours) following ingestion.

 Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning outbreaks occur sporadically.  There have been outbreaks associated with Chinese restaurants due to the way in which their fried Rice was prepared.

 Campylobacter intestinalis may cause Food Poisoning - it is estimated that this Bacteria is responsible for approximately 3 million cases of Food Poisoning in the USA annually.

        Many species of the Clostridium genus of Detrimental Bacteria may cause Food Poisoning: