Food-Borne Diseases
Food-borne diseases are illnesses caused when people consume contaminated food or beverages. Contamination is frequently caused by disease-causing microbes called pathogens. Other causes of food-borne diseases are poisonous chemicals or harmful substances in food and beverages. There are so many different pathogens that more than 250 food-borne illnesses have been described, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). CDC estimated that food-borne pathogens cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 5,000 deaths, 325,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year.
Most food-borne illnesses are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites such as Cryptosporidium. Harmful toxins cause food poisonings. Since there are so many different types of food-borne illnesses, symptoms will vary. However, some early symptoms are similar because the microbe or toxin travels through the gastrointestinal tract. The initial symptoms of food-borne diseases are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.
According to CDC, the most common food-borne viruses are caused by three bacteria and a group of viruses. Campylobacter is a bacterium that lives in the intestines of healthy birds. It is also found in raw poultry meat. An infection is caused by eating undercooked chicken or food contaminated by juices from raw chicken. The bacterial pathogen causes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Campylobacter is the primary cause of bacteria-related diarrhea illness throughout the world.
Salmonella is a bacterium that is prevalent in the intestines of birds, mammals, and reptiles. The bacterium spreads to humans through various foods. Salmonella causes the illness salmonellosis. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. This illness can result in a life-threatening infection for a person who is in poor health or has a weakened immune system.
E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterial pathogen that has a reservoir in cattle and similar animals. E. coli causes a serious illness. People become ill after eating food or drinking water that was contaminated with microscopic amounts of cow feces, according to CDC. A person often experiences severe and bloody diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps. Hemolytic urine syndrome (HUS) occurs in 3–5% of E. coli cases. This complication may occur several weeks after the first symptoms. HUS symptoms include temporary anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.
Food-borne illnesses are also caused by Calicivirus, which is also known as the Norwalk-like virus. This group of viruses is believed to spread from one person to another. An infected health service worker preparing a salad or sandwich could contaminate the food. According to CDC, infected fishermen contaminated oysters that they handled. These viruses are characterized by severe gastrointestinal illness. There is more vomiting than diarrhea, and the person usually recovers in two days.
The types and causes of food-borne illnesses have changed through the years. The pasteurization of milk, improved water quality, and safer canning techniques led to a reduction in the number of cases of common food-borne illness like typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and cholera. Cause of contemporary food-borne illnesses range from parasites living in imported food to food-processing techniques. An outbreak of a diarrheal illness in 1996 and 1997 was attributed to Cyclsopora, a parasite that contaminated raspberries grown in Guatemala. That led to 2,500 confirmed infection cases in 21 states.
Food may be contaminated during processing. For example, the meat contained in one hamburger may come from hundreds of animals, according to CDC. An E. coli outbreaks during the 1990s were linked to hamburgers purchased at fast food restaurants.
Technology in the form of food irradiation may eliminate the pathogens that cause food-borne disease. Advocates say that radiating food with gamma rays is effective and can be done when the food is packaged. Opponents say the process is dangerous and could produce the free radicals that cause cancer.
CDC ranks "raw foods of animal origin" as the foods most likely to be contaminated. This category includes meat, poultry, raw eggs, raw shellfish, and unpasteurized milk. Furthermore, raw fruit and vegetables could also pose a health risk. Vegetables fertilized by manure can also be contaminated by the fertilizer. CDC said that some outbreaks of food-borne illness were traced to unsanitary processing procedure. Water quality was crucial when washing vegetables, as was chilling the produce after it was harvested.
Of particular concern are alfalfa sprouts and other raw sprouts. These vegetables sprout in conditions that are favorable to microbes. Sprouts are eaten raw, and the microbes can grow into a large number of pathogens.
CDC advises consumers to thoroughly cook meat, poultry, and eggs. Produce should be washed. Leftovers should be chilled promptly. CDC is part of the United States Public Health Service. It researches and monitors health issues. Federal regulation of food safety is the responsibility of agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Resources
Books
Fox, Nichols. It Was Probably Something You Ate. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
Hubbert, William, et al. Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1996.
Satin, Morton. Food Alert! The Ultimate Sourcebook for Food Safety. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.
Organizations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA USA 30333 (404) 639-3311, Toll Free: (800) 311-3435, <http://www.cdc.gov>
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