Bacterial Food Poisoning
Food borne illness is an ever-present threat that can be prevented
with proper care and handling of food products. It is estimated that
between 24 and 81 million cases of food borne diarrhea disease occur
each year in the United States, costing between $5 billion and $17
billion in medical care and lost productivity.
Chemicals, heavy metals, parasites, fungi, viruses and bacteria can
cause food borne illness. Bacteria related food poisoning is the most
common, but fewer than 20 of the many thousands of different bacteria
actually are the culprits. More than 90 percent of the cases of food
poisoning each year are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella,
Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio
parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, and Entero-pathogenic Escherichia
coli. These bacteria are commonly found on many raw foods. Normally a
large number of food-poisoning bacteria must be present to cause
illness. Therefore, illness can be prevented by (1) controlling the
initial number of bacteria present, (2) preventing the small number
from growing, (3) destroying the bacteria by proper cooking and (4)
avoiding re-contamination.
Poor personal hygiene, improper cleaning of storage and preparation
areas and unclean utensils cause contamination of raw and cooked
foods. Mishandling of raw and cooked foods allows bacteria to grow.
The temperature range in which most bacteria grow is between 40
degrees F (5 degrees C) and 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Raw and
cooked foods should not be kept in this danger zone any longer than
absolutely necessary. Undercooking or improper processing o...
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...proper pasteuriztion or cooking. cross-contamination.
Sensitive to drying or freezing. Survives in milk and water at 39 o F
for several weeks.
Versinia enterocolitica
Not frequent cause of human infection.
Poultry, beef, swine. Isolated only in human pathogen.
Milk, tofu, and pork.
Diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting. Mimics appendicitis.
Improper cooking. Cross-contamination.
Grows at refrigeration temperatures (35-40o F.) Sensitive to heat (122
oF.)
Enteropathogenic E. coli
Can produce toxins that are heat stable and others that are
heat-sensitive.
Feces of infected humans.
Meat and cheeses.
Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, no fever.
Inadequate cooking. Recontamination of cooked product.
Organisms can be controlled by heating. Can grow at refrigeration
temperatures.
E. coli are bacteria that can cause an infection in various parts of your body, including your intestines. E. coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of people and animals. Most types of E. coli do not cause infections, but some produce a poison (toxin) that can cause diarrhea. Depending on the toxin, this can cause mild or severe diarrhea.
Many say that history repeats itself, and throughout history, the spread of food-borne diseases has been constantly threatening humans. Salmonella, a disease which attacks numerous people a year, has returned, infected, and put people under panic of what they are eating. According to Foodborne Diseases, it is stated that “Salmonella comprises a large and diverse group of Gram-negative rods. Salmonellae are ubiquitous and have been recovered from some insects and nearly all vertebrate species, especially humans, livestock, and companion animals” (Gray and Fedorka-Cray 55). Because of the flexibility and the ability to reproduce rapidly, this infamous disease still remains as one of the most common threats in our society as well as an unconquerable problem that humans face these days.
Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria ) from an essay by Katrina Tram Duong, edited by S.N. Carson M.D.
E. Coli and other foodborne illnesses are something that should be of major concern to everybody, becasue nobody is safe from it. It is not something that can be prevented or
E. Coli 0157, written by Mary Heersink, is a nerve-racking, adrenaline-filled story of a mother's experience with a then unknown deadly bacteria. The book brings up many reactions in its readers, especially the questioning of the practice of doctors in hospitals. The reader's knowledge base of scientific procedures in emergency centers was widened as well as the knowledge of how to the human body reacts to different agents in its system.
...ere have been many cases in which trichinellosis were found in homemade sausages and jerkies (CDC, 1997-2001).
Salmonella are gram-negative bacteria that have been one of the major causes of food poisoning for many years. There are only two species of Salmonella; Salmonella bongori and Salmonella enterica. Salmonella has two phospholipid membranes and the peptidoglycan layer is located between the two membranes. There is an inner plasma membrane and an outer membrane. The space in between these membranes is the periplasm. The periplasm contains proteins that use electron transport chains and concentration gradients to gain energy. The outer membrane of salmonella contains lipopolysaccharide. Salmonella is rod shaped and it has flagella all around the cell body. This is called peritrichous flagella. The DNA of Salmonella is primarily found on one chromosome, and depending on the subspecies of Salmonella they also harbor one or two plasmids.
In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.
Investigating the Effect of Temperature on the Fermentation of Yeast To fully investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of fermentation of yeast Background Information Yeast is a single-cell fungus, occurring in the soil and on plants, commonly used in the baking and alcohol industries. Every living thing requires energy to survive and through respiration, glucose is converted into energy. There are two types of respiration available to living cells are: 1.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholera (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/). Number of researches has been conducted and it has concluded that thousands of people are infected around the world. For more than two centuries, cholera has evaded some of the top scientist and still remains a threat to the world populations. A major cholera epidemic began in India in 1817, from India the disease spread to Russia, appearing at rapid speed and crossing all across the continent. Cholera is believed to originate in 1817 at the Ganges River in India and then later spread to other areas and regions due to poor removal of water mainly from British ships.
Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease that affects people who live in poor or non-developing countries in which clean water and other sanitation measures are not found (Plaut 1). People usually acquire cholera when they drink water or eat food that is contaminated with Vibrio Cholerae, which is a bacterium that develops and infection in the walls of the small intestine. If left untreated cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours, even if you were healthy before, since it causes severe diarrhea and vomit which can then lead to dehydration (Mayo Clinic Staff).
The patient has experienced fever, chills on body, headaches and anorexia as well as sweating especially during the night. The patient has also been feeling fatigued, muscle aches and nausea as well as vomiting especially after eating (WHO, 2010, p. 117). These symptoms started forty eight hours ago, and the patient has not taken any medication except for some aspirin.
Food-borne transmission refers to any illness that results due to the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms (cdc.gov). Bacteria is the most often the pathogen that causes food-borne illness. This is usually due to improper handling of foods, improper preparation of food and improper food storage. According to the CDC, the top 5 contributing pathogens to food-borne illness are Norovirus, non-typhoidal Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus.
Food borne illnesses are caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There are many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens. In addition, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances can cause food borne illnesses if they are present in food. More than two hundred and fifty different food borne illnesses have been described; almost all of these illnesses are infections. They are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be food borne. (Center 1)
Keeping the refrigerator at a temperature of 40 ° F or less, and the freezer at 0°F, to slow the growth of bacteria. Most importantly good hand washing is key and vital for good food safety sanitation, diarrhea and other foodborne illnesses can be cut in half with just kids and staff maintaining their hands clean. Proper Storage of food after cooking is important in preventing the spread of bacteria from raw foods. Which is why it is best that raw foods should usually be store at the bottom of the fridge in order to avoid juices from dripping onto other foods or fruits. Foods should always be covered, wrapped, and stored in airtight containers in order to protect the food from