Foodborne Illness

Common Foodborne Illnesses

Disease

Specific Agent

Reservoir

Common Vehicle

Symptoms in Brief

Incubation Period

Prevention and Control

Staphylococcus food Poisoning

Staphylococci that produce enterotoxin, Staphylococcus aureus

(Toxin is stable at boiling temperature)

Skin mucous membranes, pus, dust, air, sputum, and throat

Contaminated custard pasties, cooked or processed meats, poultry, dairy products, hollandaise sauce, salads, milk

Acute nausea, vomiting, and prostration; diarrhea, abdominal cramps

Usually explosive in nature, followed by rapid recovery of those afflicted.

1 - 6 hours or longer; average is 2 - 4 hours

Refrigerate promptly prepared food in shallow containers at a temperature below 4º C (40º F)

Discard leftover food

Avoid handling food

Educate foodhandlers in personal hygiene and sanitation

Clostridium perfringens food poisoning

Clostridium perfringens (C.welchi), a sporeformer

(Certain spores are heat resistant)

Soil, gastrointestinal tract of man and animals, cattle, poultry, pigs, vermin, and wastes

Contaminated food, inadequately heated meats including roasts, stews, beef, poultry, gravies, improperly held or cooled food

Sudden abdominal pain, then diarrhea and nausea.

Ingestion of large numbers of vegetative cells that grow in intestine and form spores.

Cast off cell releases toxin causing symptoms

8 - 22 hours, usually 10 - 12 hours

Cook food thoroughly, cool rapidly, and refrigerate promptly foods not consumed

Cool foods in shallow containers, cut up large pieces

Reheat thoroughly to 74º C (165º F) before reserving

Educate cooks

Bacillus cereus food poisoning – diarrheal type

Bacillus cereus, toxin heat stable

Spores found in wide variety of cereals, spices, vegetables, and milk

Inadequately refrigerated cooked foods and subsequently inadequately reheated

Diarrhea, cramps; vomiting sometimes

6 - 16 hours

Prevent food contamination

Cool food rapidly in shallow containers, reheat rapidly

Salmonellosis (Salmonella infection)

Salmonella typhimurium, S. newport, S. enteritidis, S. montevideo, others

Hogs, cattle, and other livestock, poultry, pets, eggs, carriers, powdered eggs, turtles, animal feed, and rodents

Contaminated sliced cooked meat, salads, uncooked meats, equipment, warmed-over foods, milk and milk products, water, eggs

Abdominal pain, diarrhea (persists several days) chills, fever, vomiting, and nausea

6 - 48 hours; usually 12 - 24 hours

Protect storage of food

Thoroughly cook food

Eliminate rodents, pets, and carriers

Similar measurers as in Staphylococcus

Poultry, water ,and meat sanitation

Do not eat raw eggs or ground beef

Refrigerate foods

Campylobacter enteritis

Campylobacter jejuni

Chickens, swine, dogs, cats, man, raw milk, contaminated water

Undercooked beef, chicken, also pork, raw milk, contaminated water

Watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, blood in stool

1-10 days

2-5 days average

Thoroughly cook chicken and pork and properly refrigerate. Treat water

Prevent cross-contamination

Diarrhea enteropathogenic (Traveller’s diarrhea)

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli invasive and enterotoxigenic strains

Infected persons

Food, water, and fomites contaminated with feces, raw or undercooked meat

Fever, mucoid, occasionally bloody diarrhea; or watery diarrhea, cramps, acidosis, dehydration

12-72 hours

Scrupulous hygiene and formula sanitation in hospital nursery. Food sanitation, thorough cooking

Listeriosis

Listeria monocytogenes

Goats, cattle, man, fowl, soil, water sewage

Raw milk, contaminated pasteurized milk and milk products, contaminated vegetables

Fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, meningeal symptoms.

Probably a few days to 3 weeks

Avoid soft cheeses, contact with infected persons and aborted animal fetuses, raw milk and meats.

Listeria grows at 3º C to 45º C
(37° F to 113° F)

Main Office:

Grey Bruce Health Unit

101 17th Street East,

Owen Sound, ON

N4K 0A5

Walkerton Office:

Grey Bruce Health Unit

30 Park Street / Box 248

Walkerton, ON

N0G 2V0

Phone: 519-376-9420 or
1-800-263-3456