Food borne illness
Food may be contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, and toxins.
Clinical notes
- Fever and bloody diarrhoea - Salmonella or Shigella
- Vomiting and watery diarrhoea with norovirus infection
- Sepsis or meningitis with Listeria infection
- Beware systemic complications
- Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
- Guillain Barré syndrome with Campylobacter
- Encephalitis with toxoplasmosis etc
Commonest causes food borne disease (and death) are norovirus, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens. Rarer but more serious are Toxoplasma and E. coli O157.
- Contamination from animals: Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157
- Contamination from humans: most other foodborne illnesses
Reduce risk
- Do not undercook esp. eggs, poultry, meat , fish
- Wash all produce prior to cooking
- Handwashing before handling foods
- Remember that many food borne illnesses are Notifiable (e.g. salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, listeriosis, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection).
