Food Borne Illnesses
Click on the following links to learn more about food borne illnesses.
Bacillus cerus Campylobacter jejuni
Clostridium botulinum Clostridium perfringens
Escheria coli (E. coli) Hepatitis A
Listeria monocytogenes Norwalk-like Virus
Symptoms: Nausea, cramp-like abdominal pains and watery diarrhea.
Sources: Environment, raw foods, cooked rice, and starchy foods.
Control Measures: Keep hot foods hot (>140°F) and keep cold foods cold (<40°F).
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised are at higher risk, but all ages of people are susceptible.
Symptoms: Watery to bloody stools, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and fever.
Sources: Raw milk, unchlorinated water, poultry, meat, clams, domesticated cats and dogs.
Control Measures: Avoid cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods with raw meats or their juices. Cook meat and poultry thoroughly. Never drink raw milk.
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised.
Symptoms: Blurred vision, dry mouth, descending paralysis, respiratory failure, death.
Sources: Soil, water, intestinal tract of animals, improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, and baked potatoes
Control Measures: Follow appropriate techniques when home canning. Do not eat food from swollen, leaking or severely damaged cans. Keep foods which are supposed to be refrigerated below 40o F. Do not feed honey to infants under 1 year old.
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised are at higher risk, but all ages of people are susceptible.
Clostridium perfringens
Symptoms: Abdominal cramps and
diarrhea (fever and vomiting notably absent).
Sources: soil, intestines of man, spices, soups, sauces, gravies,
meats, stews, chili.
Control Measures: Keep hot foods hot (>140°F) or refrigerate them
rapidly in shallow containers (<40°F) if they will not be served
immediately
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Symptoms: Severe stomach cramps, diarrhea
(often bloody), and vomiting. If there is fever, it usually is not very
high (less than 101˚F/less than 38.5˚C).
Sources: Cattle feces, manure, dairies, meat handling facilities,
cider, unpasturized milk, produce.
Control Measures: Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of
160°F. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly with running water.
Do not drink unpasteurized milk. Do not drink unpasteurized apple cider
unless it is well refrigerated.
At Risk for Complications: People of any age can become
infected. Very young children and the elderly are more likely to develop
severe illness and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) than others, but even
healthy older children and young adults can become seriously ill.
Symptoms: Fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, jaundice, and liver damage.
Sources: Ill food-workers, raw shellfish, and produce.
Control Measures: Frequent and careful hand washing with soap, basic food safety precautions, and avoidance of raw shellfish.
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised.
Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, septicemia, meningitis, stillbirth, abortion, heart disease.
Sources: Raw milk, dairy products, soft cheeses, meat, poultry, vegetables, vacuum packaged foods, and deli meats.
Control Measures: Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water. Keep foods refrigerated to slow the growth of Listeria, if it is present. Immunocompromised individuals should try to avoid eating implicated foods, such as soft-ripened cheeses or lunchmeat products.
At Risk for Complications: Pregnant women, Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised are at higher risk, but all ages of people are susceptible.
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain.
Sources: Humans are the only known reservoir. Person to person spread is extremely easy.
Control Measures: Correct handling of cold foods, strict hand washing after using the bathroom, and hand washing before handling food items.
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the Immunocompromised are at a high risk, but any one can be highly susceptible to Norwalk-like virus.
Salmonella
Symptoms:
Fever, diarrhea, headache, vomiting, and dehydration.
Sources: Poultry, raw vegetables,
eggs, humans, rodents, turtles, iguanas, insects, swine, soil, water.
Control Measures: Avoid cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods
with raw meats or their juices. Thoroughly cook meat and poultry. Cook
eggs thoroughly and never eat runny yolks or raw eggs. Always
refrigerate processed meat products. Wash fruits and vegetables
thoroughly.
At Risk for Complications: Infants, the Elderly, and the
Immunocompromised.
Symptoms: Diarrhea (often with mucous and/or blood), fever, and abdominal pain.
Sources: Infected food workers, water, and milk. Person to person transmission is very easy.
Control Measures: Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water. Always wash hands well when preparing foods.
At Risk for Complications: Infants and Pregnant women are particularly susceptible, but Elderly and Immunocompromised are also susceptible.
Staphylococcus aureus
Symptoms: Nausea, cramps,
vomiting, diarrhea, often violent onset
Sources: Human skin, sewage, feces, environment, meats, poultry,
eggs, bakery products, dairy products, sandwiches.
Control Measures: Always wash hands well when preparing foods.
Keep foods refrigerated.
Helpful Resources
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food Borne Illness Information
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