What are the bacteria that cause foodborne illness?
What are the bacteria that cause foodborne illness?
The most prevalent foodborne pathogens that cause foodborne illness are
listed below.
Campylobacter jejuni | |
| FOUND: | Intestinal tracts of animals and birds, raw milk, untreated water, and sewage sludge. |
| TRANSMISSION: | Contaminated water, raw milk, and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Fever, headache and muscle pain followed by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain, and nausea that appear 2 to 5 days after eating; may last 7 to 10 days. |
Clostridium botulinum | |
| FOUND: | Widely distributed in nature; soil, water, on plants, and intestinal tracts of animals and fish. Grows only in little or no oxygen. |
| TRANSMISSION: | Bacteria produce a toxin that causes illness. Improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, vacuum-packed and tightly wrapped food. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Toxin affects the nervous system. Symptoms usually appear 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear as few as 4 hours or as many as 8 days after eating; double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble speaking and swallowing, and difficulty breathing. Fatal in 3 to 10 days if not treated. |
Clostridium perfringens | |
| FOUND: |
Soil, dust, sewage, and intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Grows only in little
or no oxygen. |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Called "the cafeteria germ" because many outbreaks result from food left for long
periods in steam tables or at room temperature. Bacteria destroyed by cooking, but
some toxin-producing spores may survive. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Diarrhea and gas pains may appear 8 to 24 hours after eating; usually last about 1 day, but less severe symptoms may persist for 1 to 2 weeks. |
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 | |
| FOUND: |
Intestinal tracts of some mammals, raw milk, unchlorinated water; one of several
strains of E. coli that can cause human illness. |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Contaminated water, raw milk, raw or rare ground beef, unpasteurized apple juice
or cider, uncooked fruits and vegetables; person-to-person. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and malaise; can begin 2 to 5 days after food is eaten, lasting about 8 days. Some, especially the very young, have developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) that causes acute kidney failure. A similar illness, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), may occur in adults. |
Listeria monocytogenes | |
| FOUND: |
Intestinal tracts of humans and animals, milk, soil, leaf vegetables; can grow
slowly at refrigerator temperatures. |
| TRANSMISSION: | Ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or
dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry, soft cheeses and unpasteurized
milk. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes upset stomach, abdominal pain and diarrhea; may take up to 3 weeks to become ill; may later develop more serious illness in at-risk patients (pregnant women and newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems). |
Salmonella (over 2300 types) | |
| FOUND: |
Intestinal tracts and feces of animals; Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs. |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat; raw milk and dairy products; seafood,
and food handlers. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever, and headache usually appear 8 to 72 hours after eating; may last 1 to 2 days. |
Shigella (over 30 types) | |
| FOUND: |
Human intestinal tract; rarely found in other animals. |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Person-to-person by fecal-oral route; fecal contamination of food and water. Most
outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers
using poor personal hygiene. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Disease referred to as "shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhea containing blood and mucus, fever, abdominal cramps, chills, and vomiting; 12 to 50 hours from ingestion of bacteria; can last a few days to 2 weeks. |
Staphylococcus aureus | |
| FOUND: |
On humans (skin, infected cuts, pimples, noses, and throats). |
| TRANSMISSION: |
Person-to-person through food from improper food handling. Multiply rapidly at room
temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 1 to 6 hours after eating; recovery within 2 to 3 days – longer if severe dehydration occurs. |
Source: Excerpted from Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know, September 2001