What Are the Causes of Food Poisoning?
What are the most common causes of food poisoning? In most cases, the symptoms come and go rapidly after eating contaminated food.
The illness usually does not last long, but it is possible to get a more serious form of the illness.
Dehydration is the most common serious complication of food poisoning.
To avoid dehydration, avoid consuming contaminated food and drink plenty of water. However, if food poisoning is severe enough, it can be fatal.
Food contamination can occur at any stage of the production process, including handling.
In many cases, cross-contamination occurs as a result of the inability to destroy harmful organisms before the food is consumed.
Unpasteurizied milk and raw shellfish are common sources of cross-contamination. Foods may also be contaminated during storage, handling, or transportation.
Foods that can be contaminated by cross-contamination include raw poultry, uncooked meat, shellfish, and dairy products.
People who have weak immune systems are especially susceptible to toxoplasmosis, which causes serious damage to the eyes and brain.
Infants who become infected before birth may be born with various developmental problems, and can have weakened immune systems.
Food contaminated with parasites may not show symptoms immediately, but usually start one to three weeks after the individual consumes them. This can also be fatal in rare cases.
Food borne illness is caused by a variety of different agents, including bacteria and viruses.
The resulting symptoms range from a mild, acute disease to an insidious, chronic disease, or even death.
Viruses are difficult to detect, but can live in a wide variety of food products and are responsible for about 18% of all cases of food poisoning in the UK.
Bacteria are among the most common causes of food poisoning, and they can cause an array of symptoms.
While most people associate bacteria with meat, a variety of vegetables, and other sources are also susceptible to these pathogens.
Meat-handlers and flies are also important factors in the spread of the bacteria.
Shigella symptoms include abdominal cramps and blood in the stool.
The bacteria are difficult to detect on the surface of foods, so it’s vital to consult a doctor if you suspect you have this illness.
The causes of food poisoning from raw foods are varied and can include cross-contamination.
Cross-contamination occurs when raw foods are stored above prepared meals, where the juices from the raw meat can contaminate the food below.
Bacteria, viruses, and parasites may also be present in foods. In rare cases, the food may be contaminated from another source, such as the water from which the food was produced.
The immune system fights infection by producing white blood cells called phagocytes. Phagocytes are further broken down into two main groups:
neutrophils, the weakest of these cells, and macrophages, which are stronger.
Natural killer cells (NKs) are non-phagocytic white blood cells that travel through the blood and attack infected cells by killing them through apoptosis. T
hey also secrete chemicals that enhance the body’s inflammatory response. Inflammation can be painful, but it also has many benefits.
SymptomsThe symptoms of food poisoning can come on quickly or can take weeks to appear. Thankfully, most cases clear up within a week.
You’ll need to drink plenty of fluids and stay off work for at least two days. This is because food poisoning is caused by a contaminated food.
Listed below are some of the more common symptoms. Some people experience dizziness, nausea, and tingling in the arms.
You’ll also feel ill, but these symptoms will go away soon after you stop eating the contaminated food.
Treatment of food poisoning varies depending on the cause and severity of symptoms.
While it is usually treatable at home with rest and fluid intake, the symptoms are not confined to the comfort of home.
If you suspect you may be suffering from a severe case, you should visit a doctor immediately.
In severe cases, antibiotics may be prescribed. If your symptoms do not improve after a few days, you should consider hospitalization.
In the hospital, you will receive fluids and salts through a vein.