Each year, nearly 80 million cases of food poisoning are reported in the United States alone. Approximately 55% of these are the result of inadequate food storage and cooking. Another 24% are caused by hygienic malpractice. Only 3% of food poisoning cases are the consequence of an unsafe food source.

There are 20 microorganisms that typically cause food poisoning. After ingesting food tainted with certain bacteria, the bacteria reproduce in the digestive tract, sometimes releasing toxins. This can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.Though these symptoms can be annoying, or even quite unbearable, most food poisoning cases don’t require medical attention and will fade as the contaminated food passes from the body.

In the United States, the majority of food poisoning cases are caused by three main bacteria: Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella.
 
 

Botulism is a disease caused by Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which has gained much publicity recently as a biochemical terrorizing agent. This organism forms spores and can withstand boiling and irradiation. Though the spores are very hearty, boiling for 10 minutes destroys the toxin.The organism thrives in anaerobic environments with a moderate to high pH. Botulism is rare in the US, but can be deadly.

Botulism most often is the result of eating improperly processed vegetables, beef, or fish. Improperly canned products may also contain the bacteria. If a can bulges out, it is wise to throw it away. Though Clostridium botulinum doesn’t actually cause this, it is still a sign that the food is contaminated and may contain a number of harmful organisms, including Clostridium.

The toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the most potent natural toxin known. Only a few nanograms of toxin are needed to cause illness and a gram has the capacity to infect a million people. Symptoms of botulism normally appear within 36 hours of eating contaminated food. They include vertigo, weakness, double vision, and difficulty in speaking and swallowing, difficulty in breathing, abdominal distention and constipation. Botulism symptoms are different than other food poisoning since they affect the nervous system rather than the digestive tract. Infants with botulism have been called “floppy babies” because of the weakness of muscles in the arms and legs. Infant botulism has been linked to honey. The CDC recommends that infants under 6 months of age should not be given honey.

Clostridium botulinum

E. coli 0157: H7, a particularly dangerous strain of the common bacterium, makes a strong toxin that causes 25,000 cases of food poisoning per year in the United States. Most of these cases are the result of undercooked ground beef which has become contaminated with the slaughtered cow’s fecal matter.

Unpasteurized apple juice, alfalfa sprouts, radish sprouts and lettuce have all been known to become contaminated with this strain of E. coli.

Symptoms appear within a week of ingesting contaminated food. They include diarrhea, severe pain in the abdomen, and sometimes bloody stool. 2% of patients develop kidney failure from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), caused by the bacteria.
 

Escherichia coli

Campylobacter and Salmonella are the main causes of food poisoning, leading to between 2 million and 8 million cases a year with 200-800 deaths. They are both caused by eating undercooked or raw chicken. The CDC estimates that 70%-90% of all chickens are infected with one or both of these organisms.

The symptoms of Camphylobacter and Salmonella infections are consistent with the generic symptoms of food poisoning, including abdominal pain and cramps, bloody diarrhea and fever. These can persist for up to a week.
 

Salmonella	Campylobacter

 

How to prevent food poisoning:

    - Wash your hands! Wash them before, during and after food preparation and after handling raw meat. Always wash them after using the restroom. Thorough washing of the hands is the single thing one can do to drastically reduce the risk of food poisoning.

    - Along the same lines, wash all utensils and cutting boards thoroughly.

    - Wash all fruits and vegetables well before eating.

    - Cook all food thoroughly.

    - Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

    - Defrost meats in the refrigerator or the microwave - not on the countertop.
 
 

Sources:
www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/C21/C21.613.415.html
www.webmd.com
www.vdacs.state.va.us/foodsafety/poisoning.html