Microbes causing food poisoning

© A. Dowsett, Health Protection Agency / Science Photo Library The bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of food poisoning. Contaminated poultry, meat and milk are sources of infection. It takes about 3 days for the symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever to develop.

The number of cases of food-borne illness remains high with an estimated 1 million people in the UK becoming infected each year. The symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever, are not only unpleasant; they also cost an estimated £1.5 billion a year in lost working days and medical care. Most food-borne illness is preventable.

Preventing food poisoning is the responsibility of everyone in the chain from the plough to the plate. This includes farmers and growers, manufacturers, shops, caterers and consumers. The activities of food suppliers are governed by UK and EU food safety law. In the home correct hygiene, cooking and storage must be practised.

Some of the bacteria that can cause food poisoning

Name of bacteriumOriginal sourceRisky foodsTime to developSymptomsBacillus cereussoilcooked rice and pasta; meat products; vegetables15 hoursnausea, sickness and diarrhoeaCampylobacter jejuniraw meat and poultryundercooked meat and poultry; raw milk and cross-contaminated food35 days of eating infected foodfever, severe pain and diarrhoeaClostridium botulinum (very rare)soilfaulty processed canned meat and vegetables; cured meat and raw fish17 daysaffects vision, causes paralysis and can be fatalClostridium perfringensthe environmentlarge joints of meat; reheated gravies824 hoursnausea, pain and diarrhoeaEscherichia coli
E. coli O157:H7 is a very nasty strain and it can be fatalthe gut of all humans and animalscontaminated water, milk, inadequately cooked meat, cross-contaminated foods34 daysinflammation, sickness and diarrhoeaListeria monocytogeneseverywheresoft cheeses, paté, pre-packed salad; cook-chill productsvariesfever, headache, septicaemia and meningitisSalmonellagut of birds and mammals including humans - spread by faeces into water and foodpoultry, eggs and raw egg products, vegetables648 hoursdiarrhoea, sickness and headachesStaphylococcus aureusthe skin and noses of animals and humanscured meat; milk products; unrefrigerated, handled foods26 hourssickness, pain and sometimes diarrhoea

An in-depth look at a bacterium that causes food poisoning

Campylobacter

The bacterium Campylobacter is part of the normal flora living in the intestines of healthy chickens and other animals. At the factory when a chicken is killed and gutted, the contents of its intestines, including the Campylobacter, could come into contact with the birds skin. This means the raw chicken meat could become contaminated with Campylobacter.

How do you make sure chicken is safe to eat?

Campylobacter is sensitive to heat so cooking the chicken properly will kill it and make the meat safe to eat. If the chicken is served undercooked, then the Campylobacter could survive and be eaten along with the chicken. After the bacteria have been swallowed they multiply inside the persons intestine and cause the illness known as food poisoning. It takes about 3 days for the symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever to develop. The illness lasts between 2 days and a week.

Cross-contamination is the transfer of microbes from raw foods to prepared and cooked foods, it can take place by:

• raw food touching or splashing on cooked food;
• raw food touching equipment or surfaces that are then used for cooked food;
• or people touching raw food with their hands and then handling cooked food.

To prevent cross-contamination it is important to maintain good kitchen hygiene such as storing cooked and raw food separately and good personal hygiene by washing hands correctly and tying hair back.

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