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      Your Guide To Food Poisoning

      Page 2 of 4

      bacteria poisoning

      Since bacteria are responsible for most cases of food poisoning, it's important to know exactly who these enemies are and where these invisible pests can lurk. Bacteria that cause food poisoning originate in the intestines of healthy animals, are passed to animal parts and soil through animal feces, and create spores or toxins that can live in the food that we eat.

      Salmonella (Salmonellosis)

      Samonella bacteria reside in the intestinal tracts of animals and birds.

      How it's spread:

    • Raw or undercooked beef, poultry, fish, or fowl
    • Eggs
    • Unpasteurized milk and eggnog
    • Vegetables that have come into contact with infected food
    • Preparing food on a contaminated cutting board
    • Cooked food coming into contact with salmonella-ridden raw food
    • If that's not bad enough, contaminated food often looks normal.

      The side effects of salmonella poisoning, which usually show up six to 48 hours after eating the infected food, include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. The only upside: most unlucky victims, after a brief worship to the porcelain gods, recover fully without treatment after four to seven days.

      Escherichia coli (E. coli)

      This pathogen lives in the intestines and feces of healthy cows.

      How it's spread:

    • Raw ground beef
    • Raw milk
    • Unpasteurized apple juice or cider
    • Sewage contaminated water
    • Uncooked fruits or vegetables
    • Skin to skin contact with an infected person, or contact with a sneeze or cough from that person
    • Symptoms:
      Sufferers will experience several bouts of severe and/or bloody diarrhea, and horrendous abdominal cramps that usually show up about seven days after infection. While most cases clear up on their own, a very small percentage of cases (under 5%) can develop into a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to anemia and kidney failure.

      Clostridium botulinum (Botulism)

      This rare but life-threatening spore-forming bacteria becomes malicious to humans when the spores produce a toxin in an oxygen-free or low acid environment.

      How it's spread:

    • Improper home canning of certain foods, such as green beans, mushrooms, spinach, olives, and beef or fish
    • Improperly processed canned commercial foods. Look out for cans or jars that are dented, swollen, cracked, rusted, have leaky seals, and foods that smell bad.
    • Foil wrapped or vacuum-packed foods that have been kept at room temperature for several hours
    • Symptoms:
      Symptoms begin to set in anywhere from 12 to 36 hours after ingestion of tainted food. Unlike other bacteria, the botulism toxin attacks the nervous system and produces effects such as double or blurred vision, droopy eyelids, slurred speech, difficulties swallowing, breathing, muscle weakness, and paralysis. If untreated, botulism can lead to death, since the muscles necessary for breathing can become paralyzed. Thus, it's crucial that once any of the above symptoms begin to occur, you get yourself to the nearest hospital.

      Find out why this just might be a good time to go kosher

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