Identify Types of Food Poisoning

Source : jim simonson

Food poisoning can be more than uncomfortable and inconvenient, they can be dangerous with symptoms ranging from nausea and vomiting to diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. There are three types of bacterial food-borne illnesses: infection, intoxication and toxin-mediated infections.

A bacterial food-borne infection occurs when a person eats food containing a pathogenic bacterium. In the digestive tract, this pathogen begins to multiply rapidly and eventually causes illness. Examples of these food-borne bacteria are Salmonella and Listeria.

To reduce the risk of bacterial food-borne infections, food must be cooked to a high enough temperature and kept cool before cooking. It is also important that people practice food hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen.

A bacterial intoxication occurs when a person eats food containing a toxin produced by a pathogenic bacterium. Botulism or staph infections are an example. Botulism, the intoxication caused by Clostridium botulinum, is a rare but deadly disease associated with canned food products. To reduce the risk of botulism, damaged or bulging cans should be discarded.

A toxin-mediated infection occurs when a person ingests a food containing a pathogenic bacteria. The pathogen releases a toxin into the digestive tract of the person which causes the sickness. An example is Shigella and E.Coli which is a common cause of illness from consuming contaminated water or undercooked meat.