Common Foodborne Diseases
The most widely recognized foodborne illnesses are those caused by the bacteria E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, and by a group of viruses known as calcivirus, which are also called Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 lives in the intestines of healthy cattle and similar animals. People become sick after ingesting food or water that has been contaminated with trace amounts of cow feces. Symptoms usually include abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea, although in a few cases, a complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome can occur weeks after the initial symptoms. The complication can result in profuse bleeding, temporary anemia and kidney failure.
Salmonella is widespread in the intestines of several animals, mostly reptiles, birds and mammals. Salmonellosis, the illness the bacterium causes by consuming foods of origin from these animals, causes abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. Those with poor health or weakened immune systems can get life-threatening infections.
Campylobacter is a bacterial pathogen that also causes abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. The bacteria live in healthy birds’ intestines and can be found on most raw poultry meat. The most frequent source of infection is from undercooked chicken or other food that has come in contact with juices from raw chicken. Campylobacter is the bacteria most commonly identified as the cause of diarrhea in the world.
Although calicivirus, also known as Norwalk or Norwalk-like virus is a very common cause of foodborne illness, it is rarely diagnosed because laboratory tests are not widely available. Symptoms of the serious gastrointestinal illness it causes involve more vomiting than diarrhea that can last up to two days.
It is believed that Norwalk-like viruses spread mainly from one infected person to another. Infected kitchen workers may contaminate the food they prepare or infected fishermen may contaminate oysters as they harvest them.
Some diseases such as those caused by hepatitis A, Shigella, and the parasites Cryptosporidia and Giardia lamblia are usually transmitted by other means than through food, but can be foodborne on occasion. Even strep throat has been known to be transmitted through food.
It should also be noted that although this article deals with the most common foodborne illnesses, food poisoning can occur by ingesting a contaminating chemical or a natural toxin. Some common diseases can be caused by toxins produced by microbes in the food, rather than by the microbes themselves. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, for example, can produce a toxin that causes severe vomiting. Clostridium botulinum produces a powerful toxin in foods that cause the rare but deadly botulism disease. The toxins can make people sick even if the microbes that created them are no longer present.
People can also become ill, of course, if a naturally poisonous substance is used to prepare a meal, or if a pesticide was inadvertently added to one of the ingredients. People get sick each year from eating poisonous reef fishes, or after mistaking poisonous mushrooms for safe ones.
If you believe that you or a loved one has been injured by contaminated food, please call or email our experienced personal injury lawyers today.
