Raye Minor
05-08-2005, 10:57 AM
http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/sunsepa.gif
FOOD POISONING AND FOOD HYGIENE PART 1, From Paul Woods
http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/sunsepa.gif
PART 1: FOOD POISONING.
NB: this article is for personnal interest and information only, it is not meant to be used for self diagnosis, treatment or commercial purposes.
Introduction.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that in the US alone there are some 76 million cases of food poisoning per annum including 325,000 hospitalisations and up to 5,000 deaths.
Figures for the UK suggest there are as many as 5.5 million cases per annum, which means that approaching 1 in 10 of the population will have suffered from some sort of food poisoning event each year. Food poisoning cases in the UK peaked around 1999 and have dropped slightly since.
Over 200 known diseases can be transmitted through food and many are as yet unknown or undiscovered. The vast majority of cases are mild in severity.
Food Poisoning:
There are two distinctive categories of food poisoning:
Infective agents: Include bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Toxic agents: Include poisonous foods, pesticides and toxins. Some infective agents may directly produce toxins (section 1), whilst others may lead to toxin production by an indirect route. (section 2)
1. INFECTIVE AGENTS:
Most serious types of food poisoning are typically due to bacteria, bacteria are responsible for at least 66% of outbreaks in the United States.
Bacteria multiply very quickly given the right conditions of moisture, food, warmth and time. The presence of oxygen, salt, sugar and the acidity of the surroundings are also important factors, these factors will be discussed further in part 2….. Food Hygiene.
Given the right conditions a single bacteria at time zero can multiply to 2 million in just 7 hours. The more bacteria that are present the more ill you are likely to become.
Bacteria typically multiply every 15 – 30 minutes at optimum growing temperature, the scenario below is based on replication every 20 minutes.
Time zero:
1 bacteria.
220 minutes: 2048 bacteria.
20 minutes:
2 bacteria.
240 minutes: 4098 bacteria.
40 minutes:
4 bacteria.
260 minutes: 8192 bacteria.
60 minutes:
8 bacteria.
280 minutes: 16384 bacteria.
80 minutes:
16 bacteria.
300 minutes: 32768 bacteria
100 minutes:
32 bacteria.
320 minutes: 65536 bacteria.
120 minutes:
64 bacteria.
340 minutes: 131072 bacteria.
140 minutes:
128 bacteria.
360 minutes: 262144 bacteria.
160 minutes:
256 bacteria.
380 minutes: 524288 bacteria.
180 minutes:
512 bacteria.
400 minutes: 1048576 bacteria.
200 minutes:
1024 bacteria.
420 minutes: 2097152 bacteria
Only a relatively small number of bacteria are pathogenic (make humans unwell) in normal circumstances.
Contaminated food may look, smell and taste great but may be dangerous to consume.
People particularly at risk are children under 5, chronically ill, the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems such as pregnant women, HIV patients and those on chemotherapy.
It is estimated that 97% of food poisoning cases result from improper food handling and that 80% of all cases occur in commercial of institutional establishments. (CDC figures) Around 20% occur in the home. Food poisoning is therefore avoidable in most instances.
The most common causes are:
Leaving food at temperatures that allow bacterial growth.
Inadequate cooking or reheating.
Cross contamination.
Infection in the food handler.
These factors will be discussed further in part 2…… FOOD HYGIENE. (http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9#post9)
Well recognised food poisoning organisms include:
Bacterial:
Campylobacter(e.g jejuni)
Salmonella
Staphylococcus aureus
Listeria monocytogenes
Escherichia coli (e.g. 0157:H7)
Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium perfingens
Bacillus cereus
Shigella
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Acromonas hydrophila
Yersinia enterocolitica
Other miscellaneous organisms including streptococci and gram negative organisms.
Viral:
Hepatitis A
Norwalk type virus. (Small Round Structured Virus)
Parasitic:
Trichinella spiralis.
Ascaris lumbricoides.
Toxoplasma gondii
Giardia lamblia
Cyclospora cayetanensis
Cryptosporidium parvum
Taenia solium
Taenia saginata
Diphyllobothrium latum
COMMON BACTERIA:
The most prevalent foodborne pathogenic bacteria include:
Campylobacter jejuni
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Common source: intestinal tract of cattle, sheep, poultry, domestic pets.
Common food: raw milk, poultry, beef, lamb, shellfish and water.
Common causes: inadequate cooking or pasteurization, cross contamination.
Additional: some sources say this is now perhaps the commonest food poisoning pathogen. Fragile bacteria, cannot tolerate drying and can be killed by oxygen. Freezing reduces the number of bacteria present on raw meat, this is the opposite to most bacteria which can withstand freezing.
Salmonella
Campylobacter jejuni
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Common source: intestinal tract of poultry, animals and people. (some people are carriers)
Common food: poultry, meat and their products, egg products, seafood raw milk and dairy products.
Common causes: storing food at room temperature for more than 2 hours, inadequate cooking, cross contamination.
Additional: over 2300 types known. Thorough cooking kills salmonella, one of the commoner types of food poisoning.
Staphylococcus aureus:
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Common source: Animals and infected people.
Common food: Sliced meats, sandwiches, left over foods, dairy products, custards, filled pastries.
Common causes: poor personal hygiene, storing foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours, slow cooking of prepared foods.
Additional: toxin resistant to boiling. Toxin formation needs to be prevented in first place. Another of the commonest sources of food poisoning according to CDC.
E.coli 0157:H7
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Common source: intestinal tract of animals, particularly cattle.
Common food: raw and undercooked ground beef, vegetables, unpasteurised milk and contaminated water.
Common causes: infected food handler, time and temperature abuse, inadequate cooking.
Additional: sometimes called “hamburgers disease”, typically associated with ground beef and hamburgers. There are several other significant E.coli strains relevant to food poisoning.
Listeria monocytogenes:
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Common source: Infected people and animals.
Common food: coleslaw, raw milk, cheese, poulty, meats, seafood, ready to eat foods.
Common causes: inadequate cooking, poor pasteurization, time and temperature abuse.
Additional: High risk for pregnant women. Does not produce toxin.
Clostridium botulinum:
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Common source: Soil, dust and water.
Common food: Poorly processed canned foods of low acidity, stews, meat/poultry loaves, seafood, tightly wrapped food.
Common causes: inadequate heat processing of canned foods, improper curing of hams and fish, time and temperature abuse, anaerobic (absence of oxygen) environment.
Additional: produces a neurotoxic toxin which may be fatal, although the mortality rate has dropped dramatically in recent years to around 2%. It also produces heat resistant spores. Recent figures show there are typically around 110 cases per annum in the US, of which 25% are foodborn, between 1975 and 1992 there were 543 cases of botulism associated with food poisoning in the US and Puerto Rico. There are three distinct forms of botulism. There are 7 botulism toxins labelled A-G of which four (A,B,E,F) are associated with food poisoning, toxins are destroyed at temperatures normally associated with cooking.
Clostridium perfringens:
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Common source: soil and intestinal tract of people and animals.
Common food: under-heated or re-heated foods, poultry, gravy, sauces, soups, stews, meat pies.
Common causes: storing foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours, inadequate cooling rate, inadequate reheating of leftovers. Anaerobe.
Additional: toxin producing spore former.
Shigella:
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Common source: flies and intestinal tract of people.
Common food: any that become contaminated, faecal oral transmission.
Common causes: Infected food handlers, time and temperature abuse, inadequate cooking and reheating, cross contamination.
Additional: over 30 types.
BACTERIAL SPORES:
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Conquering spores is not an easy process, basic food hygiene is essential to reduce the risk from spores.
Bacterial spores have been reanimated from spores entombed in amber for between 25 and 40 millions years, about 1 in 100000 have been shown to survive brief exposure to temperatures of 3000C (6000+F) in the flame of a rocket exhaust whilst others have emerged unscathed from a bath of liquid helium at -269C (> - 400F)
Strictly speaking, spores do not cause food poisoning until they activate and germinate into bacteria and / or produce toxins.
BACTERIAL TOXINS:
Some toxins, such as the botulism toxin are inactivated by the cooking process, however many other toxins are heat stable although the bacteria that caused them may be killed. For example the staphylococcus toxin is not destroyed by high temperature cooking.
To prevent toxins from developing in food, food should not be left out at room temperature for more than 1.5 to 2 hours. On a hot day (90F or higher) food should not sit out for more than 1 hour.
COMMON VIRUSES:
Viruses are very small and can only multiply inside the cells of animals and plants. Viruses are not especially heat resistant and most outbreaks occur because food is not cooked thoroughly or contaminated after cooking. Chilling or freezing does not eliminate viruses.
Hepatitis A:
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Common source: water contaminated with raw sewage.
Common food: various including shellfish harvested from contaminated water, salad washed in contaminated water, milk, orange juice, spaghetti.
Common cause: infected food handlers, raw or improperly cooked food.
Additional: most infections can be traced to food handlers who failed to observe handwashing procedures after defaecation. Boiling and high level chlorine renders heavily contaminated water safe. CDC report no more than 4 – 5 cases in a typical year.
Norwalk-like Viruses. (SRSV’s)
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Common source: environmental or water contamination, person to person contamination.
Common food: shellfish harvested from sewage contaminated water, fresh produce.
Common cause: infected food handlers, frequently nursing homes and hospitals.
Additional: commonest cause of viral gastroenteritis.
COMMON PARASITES:
There are numerous parasites, in many parts of the developing world a very high proportion of the population will be infected. Even in the developed world parasites can be an important health issue.
Many parasites result from human carelessness, prevention is better than cure!
Trichinella spiralis:
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Common source: animals infected with larvae of worm.
Common food: wild carnivorous animal such as bear, fox, wolf, horse and seals. , may also occur in domestic pigs.
Common Cause: undercooked meat.
Additional: infection from domestic pork now very rare due to improved legislation and public awareness. Causes trichinosis, this is one of a family of roundworms called nematodes.
Toxoplasma gondii
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Common source: cat faeces, contaminated water,
Common food: contaminated raw or partly cooked food, especially pork, lamb and venison.
Common cause: poor personal hygiene.
Additional: it is thought more than 60 million people in the US may be affected, however healthy people’s immune system keeps parasite from causing illness. Pregnant women and young children are at risk. The illness associated with this parasite is called toxoplasmosis.
Ascaris lumbricoides.
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Common source: human faeces.
Common food: various.
Common cause: human carelessness.
Additional: ranges in length from 6 to 13 inches, female may grow to be as thick as a pencil. Another nematode. (roundworm) Illness associated with this parasite is called ascariasis.
Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia.
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AND
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Common source: infected water,
Common food: salad crops and raw vegetables.
Common cause: occasionally gets into domestic water supply.
Additional: a protozoa that produces cysts that are not killed by chlorine in domestic water. Only a few cysts needed to cause infection.
Taenia saginata. (beef tapeworm)
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Source: intermediate host is the cow.
Food: beef.
Cause: infected undercooked food, inadequate meat inspection in slaughter houses.
Additional: may grow up to 27 foot (8 metres) in length. Rarely seen in western world now, may cause nutritional problems. All tapeworms belong to branch of the platyhelminths called cestodes. They are invariably intestinal, they attach to the intestinal wall of humans using an anchoring system called a scolex. Tapeworm cysts may settle in the brain or liver.
Taenia solium. (pork tapeworm)
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Source: intermediate host is the pig.
Food: pork.
Cause: infected undercooked pork.
Additional: may grow to 10 – 13 foot. (3 – 4 metres) but is considered more dangerous than the beef tapeworm. Infected humans pose a risk to themselves and others, may cause serious illness.
Diphyllobothrium latum. (fish tapeworm)
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Cause: need more than one intermediate hosts, waterflea, small vertebrae and fish.
Food: large marine fish.
Cause: raw or undercooked fish.
Additional: large tapeworm, often associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
2.TOXIC AGENTS:
There are a variety of toxic agents that cause food poisoning associated with foods as diverse as mushrooms to fish.
The main relevance in respect of this article is food poisoning from eating fish. There are only about 30 reported in the USA each year but the actual number in probably much higher and generally mild. Conversely, some of these toxins can, in extreme circumstances, kill.
These toxins are not destroyed by cooking, avoidance is the only safeguard.
Marine toxins include:
Scombrotoxic fish poisoning.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
Amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Ciguatera poisoning.
Scombrotoxic (Scombroid) fish poisoning.
Source: fish.
Food: tuna, mackerel, bluefish, marlin.
Cause: bacteria break down fish proteins, causing a build up of histamine from degradation of histidine.
Additional: Histamine causes an allergic type reaction, however it does not mean the individual is allergic to fish. Commonest in Hawaii, Florida, New York, Washington and Connecticut.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Source: Microscopic sea plants called dinoflagellates.
Food: mussels, cockles, clams, scallops, oysters, crabs and lobster.
Cause: toxins produced by dinoflagellates concentrated by shellfish.
Additional: sometimes dinoflagellates present in large numbers that cause red streaks to appear in the ocean called “red tide”. Seen in Central America, New England and Pacific states.
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
Source: a second type of dinoflagellate.
Food: oysters, clams and mussels.
Cause: toxin produced by dinoflagellate concentrated by shellfish.
Additional: seen around the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast of Southern States.
Amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Cause: saltwater plant or diatom called Nitzchia pungens.
Food: mussels and other shellfish.
Cause: toxin produced by diatom concentrated by shellfish.
Additonal: rare.
Ciguatera poisoning:
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Cause: a third type of dinoflagellate.
Food: tropical fish including barracuda, grouper, sea bass snapper etc.
Cause: toxin produced by dinoflagellate concentrated by fish.
Additional: seen around Hawaii, Guam, Virgin Island and a few other sites between latitude 35N and 35S.
GENERAL CLINICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD POSIONING:
Only a broad description of clinical features is included, this article is not intended as a mechanism for self diagnosis and if food poisoning is suspected then appropriate qualified medical help must be sought.
General symptoms of food poisoning may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, diarrhoea (bloody/watery), parasthesia, burning mouth, flushing, headache, dizziness and confusion. Symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.
Other severe reactions may include paralysis, coma and neurological symptoms but fortunately these are rare.
The majority of illnesses are self limiting and supportive measures form the mainstay of therapy.
Exceptions include botulism and instances where immuno-compromised individuals, infants or the elderly are infected where more aggressive therapy is necessary. Other examples for the requirement of more aggressive therapy include the occasional patients with ciguatera poisoning who may require ventilatory (life) support.
COMMENT:
This article is intended to give a broad overview of the causative agents of food poisoning, it is not intended to be exhaustive and if further information is required, it is suggested the sources given in the references are explored further.
Now have a look at Part 2, Food Hygiene, to see how it is possible to reduce the risks posed from the agents discussed in Part 1 dramatically.
There is no evidence to suggest that the Bradley Smoker is any more prone to food poisoning events than other cooking equipment providing manufacturers instructions and basic food hygiene protocols are followed.
(This article should be posted early April 2005.)
There is further information regarding bacteria and the ways to minimise the risk of food poisoning are discussed….. remember……
97% of cases of food poisoning are associated with poor food handing and are therefore avoidable!!!
NOTE:
For those interested in the whys and wherefors of Curing and Brining, please see the following article:
CURING and BRINING, From JJC (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=21#post21)
REFERENCES:
Food Poisoning and Food Hygiene, Hobbs and Roberts, Sixth Edition.
Medical Microbiology, Mims et al,.
Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, Mandell, Bennett and Dolin. Fourth Edition.
Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness; USDA (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Cleanliness_Helps_Prevent_Foodborne_Illness/index.asp)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/)
GPnotebook Encyclopaedia of Medicine - U.K (http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/)
E-Medicine.com (http://www.emedicine.com/)
Encyclopedia of Science -Bacterial Spores (http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/bacspores.html)
Foodlink - U.K (http://www.foodlink.org.uk/)
Fight Bac.org (http://www.fightbac.org/)
Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/)
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/)
Factors Affecting the Growth of Some Foodborne Pathogens; FDA (http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071351.htm)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/)
NHS Direct - U.K (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/)
FamilyDoctor.org (http://familydoctor.org)
Online Diagnose (http://www.diagnose-me.com/)
Food Alert - U.K. (http://www.food.gov.uk/)
Some lesser well-known bugs that are fortunately not thought to be associated with food poisoning. Would’nt like to meet them on a dark night though!!:
bradleii oldmanus.
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bradleii jjcism
http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch59.gif
bradleii manxmanimus
http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch57.gif
bradleii chezbubbamosis
http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch2.gif
FOOD POISONING AND FOOD HYGIENE PART 1, From Paul Woods
http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/sunsepa.gif
PART 1: FOOD POISONING.
NB: this article is for personnal interest and information only, it is not meant to be used for self diagnosis, treatment or commercial purposes.
Introduction.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that in the US alone there are some 76 million cases of food poisoning per annum including 325,000 hospitalisations and up to 5,000 deaths.
Figures for the UK suggest there are as many as 5.5 million cases per annum, which means that approaching 1 in 10 of the population will have suffered from some sort of food poisoning event each year. Food poisoning cases in the UK peaked around 1999 and have dropped slightly since.
Over 200 known diseases can be transmitted through food and many are as yet unknown or undiscovered. The vast majority of cases are mild in severity.
Food Poisoning:
There are two distinctive categories of food poisoning:
Infective agents: Include bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Toxic agents: Include poisonous foods, pesticides and toxins. Some infective agents may directly produce toxins (section 1), whilst others may lead to toxin production by an indirect route. (section 2)
1. INFECTIVE AGENTS:
Most serious types of food poisoning are typically due to bacteria, bacteria are responsible for at least 66% of outbreaks in the United States.
Bacteria multiply very quickly given the right conditions of moisture, food, warmth and time. The presence of oxygen, salt, sugar and the acidity of the surroundings are also important factors, these factors will be discussed further in part 2….. Food Hygiene.
Given the right conditions a single bacteria at time zero can multiply to 2 million in just 7 hours. The more bacteria that are present the more ill you are likely to become.
Bacteria typically multiply every 15 – 30 minutes at optimum growing temperature, the scenario below is based on replication every 20 minutes.
Time zero:
1 bacteria.
220 minutes: 2048 bacteria.
20 minutes:
2 bacteria.
240 minutes: 4098 bacteria.
40 minutes:
4 bacteria.
260 minutes: 8192 bacteria.
60 minutes:
8 bacteria.
280 minutes: 16384 bacteria.
80 minutes:
16 bacteria.
300 minutes: 32768 bacteria
100 minutes:
32 bacteria.
320 minutes: 65536 bacteria.
120 minutes:
64 bacteria.
340 minutes: 131072 bacteria.
140 minutes:
128 bacteria.
360 minutes: 262144 bacteria.
160 minutes:
256 bacteria.
380 minutes: 524288 bacteria.
180 minutes:
512 bacteria.
400 minutes: 1048576 bacteria.
200 minutes:
1024 bacteria.
420 minutes: 2097152 bacteria
Only a relatively small number of bacteria are pathogenic (make humans unwell) in normal circumstances.
Contaminated food may look, smell and taste great but may be dangerous to consume.
People particularly at risk are children under 5, chronically ill, the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems such as pregnant women, HIV patients and those on chemotherapy.
It is estimated that 97% of food poisoning cases result from improper food handling and that 80% of all cases occur in commercial of institutional establishments. (CDC figures) Around 20% occur in the home. Food poisoning is therefore avoidable in most instances.
The most common causes are:
Leaving food at temperatures that allow bacterial growth.
Inadequate cooking or reheating.
Cross contamination.
Infection in the food handler.
These factors will be discussed further in part 2…… FOOD HYGIENE. (http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9#post9)
Well recognised food poisoning organisms include:
Bacterial:
Campylobacter(e.g jejuni)
Salmonella
Staphylococcus aureus
Listeria monocytogenes
Escherichia coli (e.g. 0157:H7)
Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium perfingens
Bacillus cereus
Shigella
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Acromonas hydrophila
Yersinia enterocolitica
Other miscellaneous organisms including streptococci and gram negative organisms.
Viral:
Hepatitis A
Norwalk type virus. (Small Round Structured Virus)
Parasitic:
Trichinella spiralis.
Ascaris lumbricoides.
Toxoplasma gondii
Giardia lamblia
Cyclospora cayetanensis
Cryptosporidium parvum
Taenia solium
Taenia saginata
Diphyllobothrium latum
COMMON BACTERIA:
The most prevalent foodborne pathogenic bacteria include:
Campylobacter jejuni
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Common source: intestinal tract of cattle, sheep, poultry, domestic pets.
Common food: raw milk, poultry, beef, lamb, shellfish and water.
Common causes: inadequate cooking or pasteurization, cross contamination.
Additional: some sources say this is now perhaps the commonest food poisoning pathogen. Fragile bacteria, cannot tolerate drying and can be killed by oxygen. Freezing reduces the number of bacteria present on raw meat, this is the opposite to most bacteria which can withstand freezing.
Salmonella
Campylobacter jejuni
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Common source: intestinal tract of poultry, animals and people. (some people are carriers)
Common food: poultry, meat and their products, egg products, seafood raw milk and dairy products.
Common causes: storing food at room temperature for more than 2 hours, inadequate cooking, cross contamination.
Additional: over 2300 types known. Thorough cooking kills salmonella, one of the commoner types of food poisoning.
Staphylococcus aureus:
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http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/FoodPoisoning/pic_3-0.jpg (http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/FoodPoisoning/pic_3.jpg)
Common source: Animals and infected people.
Common food: Sliced meats, sandwiches, left over foods, dairy products, custards, filled pastries.
Common causes: poor personal hygiene, storing foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours, slow cooking of prepared foods.
Additional: toxin resistant to boiling. Toxin formation needs to be prevented in first place. Another of the commonest sources of food poisoning according to CDC.
E.coli 0157:H7
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Common source: intestinal tract of animals, particularly cattle.
Common food: raw and undercooked ground beef, vegetables, unpasteurised milk and contaminated water.
Common causes: infected food handler, time and temperature abuse, inadequate cooking.
Additional: sometimes called “hamburgers disease”, typically associated with ground beef and hamburgers. There are several other significant E.coli strains relevant to food poisoning.
Listeria monocytogenes:
Click To Enlarge
http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/FoodPoisoning/pic_5-0.jpg (http://www.susanminor.org/images/smokers/FoodPoisoning/pic_5.jpg)
Common source: Infected people and animals.
Common food: coleslaw, raw milk, cheese, poulty, meats, seafood, ready to eat foods.
Common causes: inadequate cooking, poor pasteurization, time and temperature abuse.
Additional: High risk for pregnant women. Does not produce toxin.
Clostridium botulinum:
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Common source: Soil, dust and water.
Common food: Poorly processed canned foods of low acidity, stews, meat/poultry loaves, seafood, tightly wrapped food.
Common causes: inadequate heat processing of canned foods, improper curing of hams and fish, time and temperature abuse, anaerobic (absence of oxygen) environment.
Additional: produces a neurotoxic toxin which may be fatal, although the mortality rate has dropped dramatically in recent years to around 2%. It also produces heat resistant spores. Recent figures show there are typically around 110 cases per annum in the US, of which 25% are foodborn, between 1975 and 1992 there were 543 cases of botulism associated with food poisoning in the US and Puerto Rico. There are three distinct forms of botulism. There are 7 botulism toxins labelled A-G of which four (A,B,E,F) are associated with food poisoning, toxins are destroyed at temperatures normally associated with cooking.
Clostridium perfringens:
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Common source: soil and intestinal tract of people and animals.
Common food: under-heated or re-heated foods, poultry, gravy, sauces, soups, stews, meat pies.
Common causes: storing foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours, inadequate cooling rate, inadequate reheating of leftovers. Anaerobe.
Additional: toxin producing spore former.
Shigella:
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Common source: flies and intestinal tract of people.
Common food: any that become contaminated, faecal oral transmission.
Common causes: Infected food handlers, time and temperature abuse, inadequate cooking and reheating, cross contamination.
Additional: over 30 types.
BACTERIAL SPORES:
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Conquering spores is not an easy process, basic food hygiene is essential to reduce the risk from spores.
Bacterial spores have been reanimated from spores entombed in amber for between 25 and 40 millions years, about 1 in 100000 have been shown to survive brief exposure to temperatures of 3000C (6000+F) in the flame of a rocket exhaust whilst others have emerged unscathed from a bath of liquid helium at -269C (> - 400F)
Strictly speaking, spores do not cause food poisoning until they activate and germinate into bacteria and / or produce toxins.
BACTERIAL TOXINS:
Some toxins, such as the botulism toxin are inactivated by the cooking process, however many other toxins are heat stable although the bacteria that caused them may be killed. For example the staphylococcus toxin is not destroyed by high temperature cooking.
To prevent toxins from developing in food, food should not be left out at room temperature for more than 1.5 to 2 hours. On a hot day (90F or higher) food should not sit out for more than 1 hour.
COMMON VIRUSES:
Viruses are very small and can only multiply inside the cells of animals and plants. Viruses are not especially heat resistant and most outbreaks occur because food is not cooked thoroughly or contaminated after cooking. Chilling or freezing does not eliminate viruses.
Hepatitis A:
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Common source: water contaminated with raw sewage.
Common food: various including shellfish harvested from contaminated water, salad washed in contaminated water, milk, orange juice, spaghetti.
Common cause: infected food handlers, raw or improperly cooked food.
Additional: most infections can be traced to food handlers who failed to observe handwashing procedures after defaecation. Boiling and high level chlorine renders heavily contaminated water safe. CDC report no more than 4 – 5 cases in a typical year.
Norwalk-like Viruses. (SRSV’s)
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Common source: environmental or water contamination, person to person contamination.
Common food: shellfish harvested from sewage contaminated water, fresh produce.
Common cause: infected food handlers, frequently nursing homes and hospitals.
Additional: commonest cause of viral gastroenteritis.
COMMON PARASITES:
There are numerous parasites, in many parts of the developing world a very high proportion of the population will be infected. Even in the developed world parasites can be an important health issue.
Many parasites result from human carelessness, prevention is better than cure!
Trichinella spiralis:
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Common source: animals infected with larvae of worm.
Common food: wild carnivorous animal such as bear, fox, wolf, horse and seals. , may also occur in domestic pigs.
Common Cause: undercooked meat.
Additional: infection from domestic pork now very rare due to improved legislation and public awareness. Causes trichinosis, this is one of a family of roundworms called nematodes.
Toxoplasma gondii
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Common source: cat faeces, contaminated water,
Common food: contaminated raw or partly cooked food, especially pork, lamb and venison.
Common cause: poor personal hygiene.
Additional: it is thought more than 60 million people in the US may be affected, however healthy people’s immune system keeps parasite from causing illness. Pregnant women and young children are at risk. The illness associated with this parasite is called toxoplasmosis.
Ascaris lumbricoides.
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Common source: human faeces.
Common food: various.
Common cause: human carelessness.
Additional: ranges in length from 6 to 13 inches, female may grow to be as thick as a pencil. Another nematode. (roundworm) Illness associated with this parasite is called ascariasis.
Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia.
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AND
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Common source: infected water,
Common food: salad crops and raw vegetables.
Common cause: occasionally gets into domestic water supply.
Additional: a protozoa that produces cysts that are not killed by chlorine in domestic water. Only a few cysts needed to cause infection.
Taenia saginata. (beef tapeworm)
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Source: intermediate host is the cow.
Food: beef.
Cause: infected undercooked food, inadequate meat inspection in slaughter houses.
Additional: may grow up to 27 foot (8 metres) in length. Rarely seen in western world now, may cause nutritional problems. All tapeworms belong to branch of the platyhelminths called cestodes. They are invariably intestinal, they attach to the intestinal wall of humans using an anchoring system called a scolex. Tapeworm cysts may settle in the brain or liver.
Taenia solium. (pork tapeworm)
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Source: intermediate host is the pig.
Food: pork.
Cause: infected undercooked pork.
Additional: may grow to 10 – 13 foot. (3 – 4 metres) but is considered more dangerous than the beef tapeworm. Infected humans pose a risk to themselves and others, may cause serious illness.
Diphyllobothrium latum. (fish tapeworm)
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Cause: need more than one intermediate hosts, waterflea, small vertebrae and fish.
Food: large marine fish.
Cause: raw or undercooked fish.
Additional: large tapeworm, often associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
2.TOXIC AGENTS:
There are a variety of toxic agents that cause food poisoning associated with foods as diverse as mushrooms to fish.
The main relevance in respect of this article is food poisoning from eating fish. There are only about 30 reported in the USA each year but the actual number in probably much higher and generally mild. Conversely, some of these toxins can, in extreme circumstances, kill.
These toxins are not destroyed by cooking, avoidance is the only safeguard.
Marine toxins include:
Scombrotoxic fish poisoning.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
Amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Ciguatera poisoning.
Scombrotoxic (Scombroid) fish poisoning.
Source: fish.
Food: tuna, mackerel, bluefish, marlin.
Cause: bacteria break down fish proteins, causing a build up of histamine from degradation of histidine.
Additional: Histamine causes an allergic type reaction, however it does not mean the individual is allergic to fish. Commonest in Hawaii, Florida, New York, Washington and Connecticut.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Source: Microscopic sea plants called dinoflagellates.
Food: mussels, cockles, clams, scallops, oysters, crabs and lobster.
Cause: toxins produced by dinoflagellates concentrated by shellfish.
Additional: sometimes dinoflagellates present in large numbers that cause red streaks to appear in the ocean called “red tide”. Seen in Central America, New England and Pacific states.
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
Source: a second type of dinoflagellate.
Food: oysters, clams and mussels.
Cause: toxin produced by dinoflagellate concentrated by shellfish.
Additional: seen around the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast of Southern States.
Amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Cause: saltwater plant or diatom called Nitzchia pungens.
Food: mussels and other shellfish.
Cause: toxin produced by diatom concentrated by shellfish.
Additonal: rare.
Ciguatera poisoning:
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Cause: a third type of dinoflagellate.
Food: tropical fish including barracuda, grouper, sea bass snapper etc.
Cause: toxin produced by dinoflagellate concentrated by fish.
Additional: seen around Hawaii, Guam, Virgin Island and a few other sites between latitude 35N and 35S.
GENERAL CLINICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD POSIONING:
Only a broad description of clinical features is included, this article is not intended as a mechanism for self diagnosis and if food poisoning is suspected then appropriate qualified medical help must be sought.
General symptoms of food poisoning may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, diarrhoea (bloody/watery), parasthesia, burning mouth, flushing, headache, dizziness and confusion. Symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.
Other severe reactions may include paralysis, coma and neurological symptoms but fortunately these are rare.
The majority of illnesses are self limiting and supportive measures form the mainstay of therapy.
Exceptions include botulism and instances where immuno-compromised individuals, infants or the elderly are infected where more aggressive therapy is necessary. Other examples for the requirement of more aggressive therapy include the occasional patients with ciguatera poisoning who may require ventilatory (life) support.
COMMENT:
This article is intended to give a broad overview of the causative agents of food poisoning, it is not intended to be exhaustive and if further information is required, it is suggested the sources given in the references are explored further.
Now have a look at Part 2, Food Hygiene, to see how it is possible to reduce the risks posed from the agents discussed in Part 1 dramatically.
There is no evidence to suggest that the Bradley Smoker is any more prone to food poisoning events than other cooking equipment providing manufacturers instructions and basic food hygiene protocols are followed.
(This article should be posted early April 2005.)
There is further information regarding bacteria and the ways to minimise the risk of food poisoning are discussed….. remember……
97% of cases of food poisoning are associated with poor food handing and are therefore avoidable!!!
NOTE:
For those interested in the whys and wherefors of Curing and Brining, please see the following article:
CURING and BRINING, From JJC (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=21#post21)
REFERENCES:
Food Poisoning and Food Hygiene, Hobbs and Roberts, Sixth Edition.
Medical Microbiology, Mims et al,.
Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, Mandell, Bennett and Dolin. Fourth Edition.
Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness; USDA (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Cleanliness_Helps_Prevent_Foodborne_Illness/index.asp)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/)
GPnotebook Encyclopaedia of Medicine - U.K (http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/)
E-Medicine.com (http://www.emedicine.com/)
Encyclopedia of Science -Bacterial Spores (http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/bacspores.html)
Foodlink - U.K (http://www.foodlink.org.uk/)
Fight Bac.org (http://www.fightbac.org/)
Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/)
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/)
Factors Affecting the Growth of Some Foodborne Pathogens; FDA (http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071351.htm)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/)
NHS Direct - U.K (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/)
FamilyDoctor.org (http://familydoctor.org)
Online Diagnose (http://www.diagnose-me.com/)
Food Alert - U.K. (http://www.food.gov.uk/)
Some lesser well-known bugs that are fortunately not thought to be associated with food poisoning. Would’nt like to meet them on a dark night though!!:
bradleii oldmanus.
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bradleii jjcism
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bradleii manxmanimus
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bradleii chezbubbamosis
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