Foodborne bacterial intoxication

Food borne bacterial intoxication is caused by the ingestion of food containing preformed bacterial toxin resulting from bacterial growth in food.

Toxins, not bacteria, cause illness. Toxins may not alter the appearance, odor or flavor of food. Common kinds of bacteria that produce toxins include Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium Botulinum.

An example of food intoxication is Clostridium botulinum poisoning. Botulism, a neuroparalytic disease paralyzing or weakening skeletal muscle in the body, is caused by the ingestion of food containing toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is associated with the consumption of poorly preserved and improperly handled foods.

Foodborne intoxication can cause disability; these diseases can be caused by toxins produced by bacteria or other toxic substances in the food, which can cause severe diarrhea, toxic shock syndrome, debilitating infections such as meningitis and even death.

A bacterial toxin is a macromolecule mainly of protein origin, which can cause toxic damage in a specific organ of the host. Toxins can be divided in endotoxins and exotoxins.

Food poisoning or intoxication can be prevented by adopting good hygienic practice with proper methods and conditions of food handling, storage and preservation.
Foodborne bacterial intoxication

Intoxication of Bacteria

Intoxication of Bacteria
Some bacteria produce harmful toxin or other chemicals that are then present in the food. It is not the bug itself that causes illness, but rather the toxin the bacteria produce.

This can happen even if the pathogen itself has been killed as long as it had sufficient time to produce enough toxin before frying.

Staphylococcus aureus is an example of this type of bacteria. Staphylococci exist in air, dust, sewage, milk, animals, humans and on food or on food equipment.

They are present in the nasal passage and throats and on the hair and skin of 5o percent or more of health individuals. Illness is cause by ingesting toxins produced in food by some strains of S. aureus, usually because the food has not been kept hot enough or cold enough.

Although cooking easily destroys the bacteria, the toxin produced by the bacteria very resistant to heating, refrigeration and freezing. It is not possible to detect the presence of the toxin in food by smell, appearance or taste.

The likehood of illness increases with the amount of time the bacteria are left at an improper temperature.
Intoxication of Bacteria

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

Food Borne illnesses

Food Borne illnesses
Since food is biological in nature and is capable of supplying consumers with nutrition, it is equally capable of supporting the growth of contaminating microorganisms. Two types of bacterial food borne disease are recognized: intoxications and infections.

Food borne bacterial intoxication is caused by the ingestion of food containing preformed bacterial toxin resulting from bacterial growth in food.

Food borne infection, on the other hand, is caused by the ingestion of food containing viable bacteria which then grow and establish themselves in host, resulting in illness. Some pathogens occur in normal, healthy animals and in some instances man. Certain microorganisms are thus ubiquitous in nature, occurring on soil and vegetation, in animal wastes, and on animal carcasses. Human skin surfaces and nasal passages harbor staphylococci. Water supply may contain pathogens when contaminated with fecal mater.

Coastal waters in particularly may also naturally harbor recognized as pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. It is thus obvious how difficult to prevent one or more pathogens from entering raw foods.

The most common symptoms associated with food borne illness is diarrhea. Depending on the pathogenicity of the organisms and the susceptibility or health status of the host, the illness may be acute and self-limiting, or it may lead to other serious chronic and life threatening sequellae. Food borne illnesses are more likely to be life-threatening for the immune compromised, the aged , and those individuals debilitated by underlying health problems such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, hemachromatosis. The increase number of sporadic outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and the sequella hemolytic uremic syndrome has caused health officials to speculate that Escherichia coli serotypes may be the source of many diarrheal disease of unknown etiology. Food borne disease however, may not necessarily manifest itself in diarrheal illness but may illicit other symptoms such as abdominal cramps or pseudo appendicitis. Although a number of unusual outbreaks related to processed foods have occurred on the past few years , the majority of food borne illnesses are attributable to improper handling , cooking , and syirage practices on food service operations pr in the home.
Food Borne illnesses