Food Infection

Food Infection
The cause of food borne diseases is mainly the ingestion of infected food. Apart from gastrointestinal problems and related illness due to improper diet, nutritional deficiencies and over heating, the causes of food borne illness may be due to either

1. Food Infection
   
2. Food Intoxication

The entry of pathogenic organisms and parasites into the body and the reaction of the body to the presence of organisms or their metabolites cause of the body to the presence of organisms or their metabolites cause food infection.

Pathogenic organisms make their entry through the food chain i.e. by consuming foods contaminated with such organisms. Bacterial food infection refers to food borne illness cause by the entry of bacteria into the body.

Food intoxication or poisoning is cause by consuming food contaminated with toxic substances.

Food infections may be broadly sub classified into two types.

1. Those in which the contaminated food does not ordinarily support the growth of the pathogenic organisms but merely carries them. Such food infections include diseases such as diphtheria, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis, infectious hepatitis, etc.
   
2. Food infections in which the food serves as a culture medium for the growth of pathogens to increase in number and cause infection when such food is consumed leading to diseases such as salmonellosis, shigellosis, gastroenteritis, etc.

Food infections can lead to outbreak of diseases in epidemic propositions.
Food Infection