Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning is an acute illness resulting from eating contaminated food. Although most cases of food poisoning are caused by bacteria, there are also non-bacterial forms. Non-bacterial food poisoning can result from eating poisonous mushrooms, plants, or berries mistakenly thought to be edible. Acute or chronic poisoning can develop from eating residues of insecticide and other sprays on fruits and vegetables. Never eat anything growing wild. Unpeeled fruits and leafy vegetables should be washed thoroughly before consuming them.

There are two types of bacterial food poisoning. One type is due to food-borne bacteria infecting the system. The other type are the toxic substances produced by bacteria and present in the food before it is eaten.

The most common food-borne infection is salmonellosis, caused by several kinds of bacteria, belonging to the genus Salmonella. Shellfish growing in sewage-polluted waters or vegetables fertilized by human manure are often contaminated with such bacteria. Food can also be contaminated by human carriers during the process of handling. 

Food to spoil can be caused by a number of different bacteria which many of them produce toxic substances in the process. The most common of these food spoiling bacteria are staphyloccocci (a member of a group of bacteria that causes boils pus-forming infections, and a type of food poisoning). Persons in good health usually recover from this kind of food poisoning in from one to four days.

Botulism is a serious, but fairly rare, form of food poisoning that is due to a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This toxin is one of the most potent poisons known, however, an anti-toxin has been developed. Botulism is fatal if not treated. The organism grows slowly in food of low acid content. Home-canned foods that has not been properly processed may contain dangerous amounts of the botulism toxin.