There many causes of food poisoning.Sometimes they classified by how quickly their symptoms begin after eatingpotentially contaminated food. Think of this as the incubation time from whenfood enters the body and symptoms begin. The following are several examples howthis time classification can be arranged:四川省第四人民医院消化内科常玉英
Short incubation or less than 16 to 24hours
Chemical causes
Scombroid poisoning usually is due topoorly cooked or stored fish. The affected person will experience flushing,itching, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing within 1 to 2 hour ofeating.
Ciguatera poisoning is another fish toxinthat occurs after eating fish such as grouper, snapper, and barracuda. Symptomsinclude vomiting and diarrhea, muscle aches, and neurologic complaintsincluding headache, numbness and tingling, hallucinations, and difficulty withbalance (ataxia).
Mushroom ingestions can cause initialsymptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. Eating Amanita mushrooms can cause liverand kidney failure leading to death.
Bacterium Causes
Staphylococcus aureus poisoning is due to atoxin that is pre-formed in food before it is eaten. It causes vomiting within1 to 6 hours after eating the contaminated food.
Bacillus cereus is an infection that occursafter eating poorly cooked or raw rice.
Clostridium Perfringens is a spore thatinfects cooked meat that has been stored in an environment that was too warm.Within 8 to 12 hours, it may cause profuse diarrhea.
Intermediate incubation from about 1 to 3days
Infections of the large intestine or coloncan cause bloody, mucoid diarrhea associated with crampy abdominal pain.
Campylobacter, according to CDC data, isthe number one cause of food borne disease in the United States.
Shigella spp contaminate food and water andcause dysentery (severe diarrhea often containing mucus and blood).
Salmonella infections often occur becauseof poorly or undercooked cooked, and poor handling of the chicken and eggs. Inindividuals with weakened immune systems, including the elderly, the infectioncan enter the bloodstream and cause potentially life-threatening infections.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus can contaminatesaltwater shellfish and cause a watery diarrhea.
Diarrhea due to small bowel infection tendsnot to be bloody, but infections may affect both the small and large intestineat the same time.
E. coli (enterotoxigenic) is the mostcommon cause of traveler's diarrhea. It lacks symptoms such as fever or bloodydiarrhea.
Vibrio cholerae, often from contaminateddrinking, water produces a voluminous watery diarrhea resembling rice-water.
Viruses like Norwalk, rotavirus and adenovirus tend tohave other symptoms associated with an infection including fever, chills,headache, and vomiting.
Botulism is caused by Clostridium botulinumtoxin and may present with fever, vomiting, mild diarrhea, numbness, andweakness leading to paralysis.
Long incubation 3 to 5 days
Hemorrhagic E. coli (mainly E. coli0157:H7) can cause inflammation of the colon leading to bloody stools. In somechildren, about a week after infection, it can progress to hemolytic uremicsyndrome (HUS). Elderly individuals may contract thrombotic thrombocytopenicpurpura (TTP). Toxins from the bacteria enter the blood stream and hemolyze ordestroy red blood cells (hemo=blood + lyse=disintegrate). In addition, thetoxins cause kidney failure and uremia, where waste products build up in thebody.
Yersinia enterocolitica may causeinflammation of lymph nodes in the lining of the abdomen and may mimicappendicitis.
Very long incubation up to a month
Parasites
Giardiasis may occur after drinking waterfrom lakes or rivers that have been contaminated by beavers, muskrats, or sheepthat have been grazing. It also can be passed from person to person, forexample in day care settings.
Amoebiasis is encountered in contaminateddrinking water, usually in tropical or semitropical climates and can be passedperson to person.
Trichinosis is due to an infection fromeating undercooked pork or wild game such as bear meat. Aside from fever andgastrointestinal complaints, symptoms include muscle pain, facial swelling, andbleeding around the eyes and under the fingernails.
Cysticercosis is often seen in developingcountries where water is contaminated with pork tapeworms and the person drinksthe ova form the tapeworm. The infection can invade the brain(neurocysticercosis) causing seizures.
Bacteria
Listeriosis usually occurs after foodscontaminated with Listeria bacteria are ingested. These include unpastruized,raw milk, soft cheeses, and processed meats and poultry. Vegetables and fruitsmay also become infected with Listeria. The bacteria may lay dormant in or on thesurface of the food products for weeks.
Brucellosis occurs by ingesting raw orunpasteurized milk and cheese, especially goat's milk contaminated withBrucella spp
Virus
Hepatitis A is spread by poor foodhandling, and not due to blood exposure such as hepatitis B and C.
Protozoans
Toxoplasmosis is usually transmitted tohumans from cat feces containing Toxoplasma parasites; most infections areasymptomatic, but people who are immune depressed can develop systemic diseasesymptoms.
Prion
Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (mad cowdisease) is acquired by eating foods containing prions (transmissible agentsthat induces abnormal folding of brain protein) contaminating brain or spinalcord from infected cows.