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Bacterial food poisoning

Foodborne illness or food poisoning is caused by consuming food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, toxins, viruses, prions or parasites. Such contamination usually arises from improper handling, preparation or storage of food. Foodborne illness can also be caused by adding pesticides or medicines to food, or by accidentally consuming naturally poisonous substances like poisonous mushrooms or reef fish. Contact between food and pests, especially flies, rodents and cockroaches, is a further cause of contamination of food. more...

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Some common diseases are occasionally foodborne mainly through the water vector, even though they are usually transmitted by other routes. These include infections caused by Shigella, Hepatitis A, and the parasites Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum.

The World Health Organization defines it as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. Every person is at risk of foodborne illness.

Good hygiene practices before, during, and after food preparation can reduce the chances of contracting an illness.

Symptoms and mortality

Symptoms typically begin several hours after ingestion and depending on the agent involved, can include one or more of the following: nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache or tiredness. In most cases the body is able to permanently recover after a short period of acute discomfort and illness. However, foodborne illness can result in permanent health problems or even death, especially in babies, pregnant women (and their fetuses), elderly people, sick people and others with weak immune systems. Similarly, people with liver disease are especially susceptible to infections from Vibrio vulnificus, which can be found in oysters.

Incubation period

The delay between consumption of a contaminated food and appearance of the first symptoms of illness is called the incubation period. This ranges from hours to days (and rarely months or even years), depending on the agent, and on how much was consumed. If symptoms occur within 1-6 hours after eating the food, it suggests that it is caused by a bacterial toxin rather than live bacteria.

During the incubation period, microbes pass through the stomach into the intestine, attach to the cells lining the intestinal walls, and begin to multiply there. Some types of microbes stay in the intestine, some produce a toxin that is absorbed into the bloodstream, and some can directly invade the deeper body tissues. The symptoms produced depend on the type of microbe.

Infectious dose

The infectious dose is the amount of agent that must be consumed to give rise to symptoms of foodborne illness. The infective dose varies according to the agent and consumer's age and health. In the case of Salmonella, as few as 15-20 cells may suffice .

Pathogenic agents

An early theory on the causes of food poisoning involved ptomaines, alkaloids found in decaying animal and vegetable matter. While some poisonous alkaloids are the cause of poisoning, the discovery of bacteria left the ptomaine theory obsolete.

Bacteria

Bacterial infection is the most common cause of food poisoning. In the United Kingdom during 2000 the individual bacteria involved were as follows: Campylobacter jejuni 77.3%, Salmonella 20.9%, Escherichia coli O157:H7 1.4%, and all others less than 0.1% .

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Pau wow: the bark of the pau d'arco tree battles yeast infections, food poisoning—and maybe cancer
From Natural Health, 11/1/05 by Michael Castleman

A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, the Incas of Peru found the inner bark of the pink-flowered lapacho tree indispensable for treating fever, sore throat, dysentery, snakebite, bladder and yeast infections, and even cancer. They also used its wood to make bows for hunting. Now called pau d'arco (pow-DAR-co), which is Portuguese for "bow stick," the term refers to various trees of the Tabebuia family that grow in the mountains of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.

In the 1950s, Brazilian researchers confirmed that this ancient medicine is indeed anti-bacterial. Among more recent investigations:

* A study at the University of Rio de Janeiro discovered that pau d'arco helps treat Staphylococcus aureus infections that resist antibiotics. Research at Seoul National University suggests that the herb is active against human intestinal bacteria, which cause food poisoning.

* Pau d'arco has certain anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity, including against herpes I and II. It may reduce viral replication, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

* The herb is especially effective against Candida albicans, the fungus that causes vaginal yeast infections. Writing in the British Journal of Phytotherapy, Dutch herbalist Edward Oswald refers to the method of soaking a tampon in a strong pau d'arco tea while also taking the herb orally.

* Early reports declared pau d'arco to be useful in treating leukemia and other cancers, but the National Cancer Institute's research into lapachol (the constituent with the most anti-tumor activity) was halted due to mild side effects. More recent lab tests in Korea determined that another constituent, beta-lapachone, kills cancer cells of the lung, colon, and prostate. Pau d'arco is some time away from being used to treat cancer, but the Incas may have been on the right track.

Dosage In tablets or capsules, 1 to 4 grams per day in divided doses--or 1 to 2 teaspoons of tincture three times a day. Consuming 1.5 grams per day or more may cause dizziness and GI upset, so consult your herbalist. Avoid pau d'arco if you're taking anticoagulants or having surgery, or if you are pregnant or nursing.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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