In most cases of food poisoning, the food is contaminated by bacteria, such as salmonella or Escherichia coli (E. coli), or a virus, such as the norovirus.
More than 90 percent of the cases of food poisoning each year are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, and Entero-pathogenic Escherichia coli. These bacteria are commonly found on many raw foods.
The main types of bacteria found in food are salmonella, E. coli, shigella, Bacillus cereus, listeria and campylobacter. These bacteria are more likely to affect children, senior adults and those with compromised immune systems. Salmonella, shigella, campylobacter and pathogenic E.
Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli. Antibiotics are the usual treatment.
Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease.
In the US, norovirus is the most common cause of illness from contaminated food or water—but food isn't the only way people can get norovirus. It also spreads easily from person-to-person. Symptoms usually start within 1 or 2 days of eating the contaminated food, but may begin in as few as 12 hours.
The most common symptoms of food poisoning are: Diarrhea. Stomach pain or cramps.
Foodborne illness, more commonly referred to as food poisoning, is the result of eating contaminated, spoiled, or toxic food. The most common symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Most often, E. coli and salmonella cases will go unreported because they typically resolve within a week. If you do visit the doctor for food poisoning, they will test a sample of your stool to accurately diagnose the bacteria in your body.
There are no antibiotics for most E. coli infections. If you have contracted traveler's diarrhea, your doctor may recommend that you do take anti-diarrhea medications for a short period or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). In some instances, doctors treat the infection with antibiotics.
Thoroughly cooking meat, especially ground beef, can destroy E. coli bacteria. Ground beef should be cooked until it is no longer pink and juices run clear. When cooking hamburgers, the meat thermometer should read 160 degrees in the thickest part of the hamburger patty and the patty should not be pink inside.
Some of the common bacterial diseases in humans are tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid, tetanus, etc. Bacteria that cause various diseases in humans are known as pathogenic bacteria.
Urinary tract infections (UTI)
UTIs are mainly caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and are the most common infection in humans worldwide.
Common bacterial diseases include UTIs, food poisoning, STIs and some skin, sinus and ear infections. They're often treated with antibiotics.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most types of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea. But a few strains, such as E. coli O157:H7, can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
Salmonella strains sometimes cause infection in urine, blood, bones, joints, or the nervous system (spinal fluid and brain), and can cause severe disease.
Salmonella is spread by the fecal-oral route and can be transmitted by • food and water, • by direct animal contact, and • rarely from person-to-person. An estimated 94% of salmonellosis is transmitted by food. Humans usually become infected by eating foods contaminated with feces from an infected animal.
This website focuses on the types of Salmonella that most commonly cause diarrheal illness. Other types of Salmonella – Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi – cause typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever.