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Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning Overview

Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that occur suddenly (within 48 hours) after consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow. These symptoms may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same thing (called an outbreak).

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States, food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year. One of the most common bacterial forms of infection, the salmonellae organisms, account for $1 billion in medical costs and lost work time.
  • Worldwide, diarrheal illnesses are among the leading causes of death. Travelers to developing countries often encounter food poisoning in the form of traveler's diarrhea or "Montezuma’s revenge." Additionally, there are possible new global threats to the world's food supply through terrorist actions using food toxins as weapons.



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Food Poisoning - Causes and Experience

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Food Poisoning

Shellfish Poisoning Paralysis Overview

Shellfish poisoning can occur after eating clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, cockles, starfish, and crustaceans that consume dinoflagellates during a red tide. During a red tide, sea waters turn a reddish color because large numbers of red organisms (dinoflagellates) are present. Dinoflagellates kill fish and other organisms by releasing toxins (poisonous substances). Consequently, shellfish take in the concentrated saxitoxin, a poison that causes paralysis.

Red tides are most common in the cold waters of North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Japan. A red tide rarely occurs in warmer climates. People are poisoned when they unknowingly eat shellfish contaminated during a red tide with saxitoxins.

Shellfish that is contaminated during a red tide does not have an abnormal taste, smell, or color, and the toxin is not destroyed by heating or cooking. Paralysis due to shellfish poisoning follows a ...

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Food Poisoning »

Food poisoning is defined as an illness caused by the consumption of food or water contaminated with bacteria and/or their toxins, parasites, viruses, or chemicals.

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