| Foodborne illness are one of the leading | | | | foodborne illness, though it is rarely |
| causes of emergency room visits in the United | | | | diagnosed, because the laboratory test is not |
| States, and account for millions of dollars | | | | widely available. It causes an acute |
| in expenses and thousands of days of lost | | | | gastrointestinal illness, usually with more |
| work time every year. What are some of the | | | | vomiting than diarrhea, that resolves within |
| most common bugs?Campylobacter is a bacterial | | | | two days. Unlike many foodborne pathogens |
| pathogen that causes fever, diarrhea, and | | | | that have animal reservoirs, it is believed |
| abdominal cramps. It is the most commonly | | | | that Norwalk-like viruses spread primarily |
| identified bacterial cause of diarrheal | | | | from one infected person to another. Infected |
| illness in the world. These bacteria live in | | | | kitchen workers can contaminate a salad or |
| the intestines of healthy birds, and most raw | | | | sandwich as they prepare it, if they have the |
| poultry meat has Campylobacter on it. Eating | | | | virus on their hands. Infected fishermen have |
| undercooked chicken or other food that has | | | | contaminated oysters as they harvested |
| been contaminated with juices dripping from | | | | them.Salmonella is another bacterium that is |
| raw chicken is the most frequent source of | | | | widespread in the intestines of birds, |
| this infection.E. coli is a bacterial | | | | reptiles and mammals. It can spread to humans |
| pathogen that has a reservoir in cattle and | | | | via a variety of different foods of animal |
| other similar animals. Human illness | | | | origin. The illness it causes, salmonellosis, |
| typically follows consumption of food or | | | | typically includes fever, diarrhea and |
| water that has been contaminated with | | | | abdominal cramps. In persons with poor |
| microscopic amounts of cow feces. The illness | | | | underlying health or weakened immune systems, |
| it causes is often a severe and bloody | | | | it can invade the bloodstream and cause |
| diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps, | | | | life-threatening infections.As you can see, |
| without much fever. In 3 percent to 5 percent | | | | foodborne illness are nothing to fool around |
| of cases, a complication called hemolytic | | | | with. If you suspect you have one, get |
| uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur several weeks | | | | medical help immediately!Andrew Krause is a |
| after the initial symptoms. This severe | | | | Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at |
| complication includes temporary anemia, | | | | present I own a Gourmet Bakery called The |
| profuse bleeding and kidney failure.Norwalk | | | | Cheese Confectioner. |
| virus is an extremely common cause of | | | | |