Bacterial Food Poisoning
The following bacteria frequently cause food poisoning:
- Salmonella
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Clostridium perfringes
- Bacillus cereus
The following bacteria cause food poisoning less frequently: - Clostridium botulinum
- Some strains of Escherichia coli
All bacteria have two names. The generic name is written first and with a capital letter, e.g. Clostridium, Bacillus.
The specific name is written with a small letter after generic name, e.g. perfringes, cereus.
Bacteria with the same generic name have similar characteristics, e.g. shape, oxygen requirements, enterotoxin production and spore formation.
There are approximately 2000 species of the Salmonella genus (e.g. Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteriditis, Salmonella hadar, Salmonella newport) but most of them cause food poisoning it is usual to talk about Salmonella food poisoning without distinguishing which species is actually cause.
Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringes and Bacillus cereus are all common cause of food poisoning in the UK and many other countries.
Bacterial Food Poisoning
