The following is a backgrounder on food illnesses taken from the International Food Information Council Foundation's web page. I found it very informative as I hope you will. You can find the IFIC Foundation on the web at http://ificinfo.health.org/
Foodborne illness generally refers to illnesses caused by microorganisms consumed by eating any type of food. When people complain of "food poisoning," they may actually have been exposed to the microorganisms that cause foodborne illness. Microbes, bacteria and pathogens are other terms used to describe the microorganisms that cause foodborne illness.
Government officials and health experts consistently rate foodborne illnesses as the greatest food safety threat. Their effects can range from relatively minor discomfort to more serious symptoms and manifestations such as fever, diarrhea, dehydration and even death. The acute illnesses posed by foodborne organisms, coupled with the ease and swiftness with which they develop, present food safety challenges for the entire food distribution chain, including producers, packers and shippers, processors and manufacturers, retailers and consumers.
Government estimates vary widely as to the prevalence and growth of foodborne illnesses. Since many people afflicted with foodborne illnesses assume they have the flu and do not visit a physician, cases tend to be underreported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that collects and disseminates information on foodborne illnesses, notes that reports of outbreaks represent "only a small fraction of the total number that occur."
There are five basic categories of foodborne disease agents:
Some bacteria, of course, are beneficial and are even used in food processing; others combat disease. However, bacteria account for more than two-thirds of all outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States. There are literally thousands of different strains of bacteria that can cause foodborne disease; fewer than 50 to 100 are responsible for most of the illnesses.
Viruses are too small to be seen with any ordinary microscope, and they grow or reproduce only in living cells. They are often found in untreated water. In addition, viruses from human feces on inadequately washed hands can be a source of foodborne disease.
Food and water can carry such parasites as tapeworms, roundworms and certain species of protozoa.
Toxins, such as scombrotoxin and ciguatoxin, are formed by microorganisms in food.
Statistically, most foodborne illnesses are classified as "unknown," because frequently no laboratory analysis is ever conducted to verify the specific agent or cause.
Foodborne illnesses occur when contaminants cause either infections or intoxications. Infections result from the ingestion of significant quantities that have reproduced in the food itself, or in the small intestines once consumed.
It is important to emphasize that since there are literally thousands of different strains of bacteria that can cause foodborne disease, it is difficult to generalize on their characteristics and effects. For instance, most bacterial cells are destroyed by thorough cooking, yet some can survive boiling. Most microorganisms prefer warm environments, but some such as Listeria will survive and even grow at refrigerator temperatures. Most microorganisms do not survive food with relatively high salt concentrations, but some will.
Four types of bacteria are responsible for most of the reported cases of foodborne disease:
Salmonellosis is the most common bacterial foodborne illness. The salmonella family includes about 2,000 different strains of bacteria, but only 10 strains cause most of the reported salmonella infections. Salmonella can be found on and ingested from a variety of sources, but is most frequently associated with poultry, meat, eggs and unpasteurized milk.
Cases of botulism are rare but very dangerous. They are usually associated with low-acid canned foods, such as meats and vegetables that have been improperly processed or stored.
This bacteria is carried by humans in the nose and throat areas and in skin infections. Staph toxins are not killed by ordinary cooking, which is why personal hygiene is so important in the kitchen.
These are bacteria present throughout the environment, growing where there is little or no oxygen. Foods on buffets and casseroles, stews and gravies held at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit are particularly susceptible to growth of this bacterium.
At least four factors are necessary for bacterial foodborne illness to occur:
1) a microbial contaminant;
2) a food vehicle;
3) conditions allowing bacteria to survive, reproduce or form a toxin; and
4) a vulnerable food consumer who ingests enough of the agent.
Bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms are found widely throughout nature and the environment. An average person carries more than 150 kinds of bacteria inside and outside the body. Generally, the bacteria can spread easily and rapidly, requiring just food, moisture, a favorable temperature and time to multiply. Therefore, animal protein foods: meat, eggs, poultry and fish .are common hosts of foodborne bacteria. However, bacteria can be readily spread from a non-food item:such as a knife, crate, cutting board, or human hands to food.
Contaminants causing foodborne illness can originate within the food living in an animal, on the food (egg shell or produce), from unsafe water, or from human or animal feces. In the home, favorite bacteria hiding places include sponges, dish towels, aprons, cutting boards, sinks, counter tops and wooden utensils.
Since foodborne disease can potentially cause severe illness or death, people who suspect they have become sick from food should see a doctor. Symptoms include severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), vomiting and nausea, dry mouth, double vision, difficulty swallowing and flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, headache, backache). Symptoms may appear from 12 hours to 10 days after exposure.
Certain segments of the population face greater risks and have a higher incidence of foodborne illness:
Ability to fight foodborne disease lessens with age. As people grow older, their stomachs produce less acid (which destroys bacteria) and their kidneys are less able to filter bacteria from the blood. The elderly, the fastest growing segment of the population, is the largest high-risk group.
Some illnesses that an expectant mother contracts can affect her fetus. Unborn babies do not have a fully developed immune system and therefore cannot effectively fight bacteria. Foodborne disease can cause spontaneous abortions and stillbirths. In addition, foodborne illness can lead to urinary tract infections, meningitis and kidney failure in infants.
These individuals have weakened immune systems and are also more vulnerable to foodborne disease. For people suffering from a chronic illness, foodborne disease can be especially difficult to treat, may recur and may interfere with treatment for other illnesses.
Most foodborne illnesses can be prevented by consumers. Public health experts believe unsanitary food preparation practices are major contributors to outbreaks. Errors made in shopping for, transporting, storing, preparing or serving food can enable bacteria to survive and grow. If foods are prepared a day or more before consumption and food handlers are careless, the chance of illness can increase because bacteria have more time to multiply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers the following food-handling tips:
Answering Your Questions on E. coli
Reprinted from Food News for Consumers
Summer Supplement 1993
The Meat and Poultry Hotline has received hundreds of calls from consumers about the E. coli O157:H7 organism and how to avoid it at home. Here are some of the most-often-asked questions the Hotline has received since the outbreak made headlines earlier this year.
Q. To what internal temperature should ground beef be cooked to destroy E. coli?
A. Cook the ground beef to at least 160 F. If possible, use a meat thermometer to check that itÍs cooked all the way through. Otherwise, check visually - red meat is done when itÍs brown or gray inside. Juices should run clear with no traces of pink.
Q. Is it more risky to eat a rare hamburger than a rare steak or roast?
A. Yes. Undercooked hamburger is more risky because of the kind of handling and preparation hamburger receives. Surface bacteria may be spread throughout the meat during grinding. Also, ground meat is often made with trimmings from several cuts. But this does not mean that we recommend eating other cuts raw or rare either. You should cook ALL meat, poultry and fish to at least 160 F.
Q. What are the symptoms of E. coli food poisoning?
A. Symptoms include severe abdominal cramps, followed by watery diarrhea that often becomes bloody. Victims may also suffer vomiting and nausea, accompanied by low-grade fever. In some persons, particularly children and the elderly, the infection can lead to severe complications, including kidney failure.
Q. How do you prevent illness from this serious form of E. coli?
A. Thorough cooking destroys the E. coli bacteria. In addition, you should follow these general safe food handling tips:
After shopping, quickly freeze or refrigerate all perishable foods. Never thaw food on the counter or let it sit out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. Food should not be off refrigeration over 1 hour in high summer heat (85 F and above).
Use refrigerated ground meat and patties in 1-2 days; frozen meat and patties in 3-4 months.
Wash hands, utensils and work areas with hot soapy water after contact with raw meat and meat patties, to avoid cross-contamination. Follow good personal hygiene rules, especially after using the bathroom. Cook hamburgers, other meat patties, meat loaf, meat balls (or any dish made with ground meat) until gray or brown inside, or to an internal temperature of 160 F.
Serve food with clean plates and utensils.
Q. How can I tell if the ground beef I buy is safe to eat?
A. You canÍt just by looking at it or smelling it. ThatÍs why you should always follow the rules mentioned above. If an off-odor is apparent, return it to the store.
Q. Is E. coli a problem only with beef?
A. No. E. coli can appear in raw milk, so only use pasteurized product. Unprocessed apple cider and unchlorinated water can carry the bacteria. And other foods can "pick up" the bacteria from raw meat juices - for example if salad vegetables were chopped on the same cutting board where you had just tenderized steak.
Q. What should I do when eating out in a restaurant or fast food establishment?
A. Send back any meat, poultry or fish product that does not appear thoroughly cooked. Ground meat should be gray or brown in the center. Poultry juices should run clear and fish should "flake" with a fork. All cooked food should be served hot.
Q. Does freezing kill E. coli?
A. No! ThatÍs why itÍs important to cook all food thoroughly.
Q. What is USDA doing about the E. coli problem?
A. USDA has embarked on a number of new initiatives at the farm, meat plant, supermarket and consumer level in order to protect the public. For example, USDA is sponsoring research aimed at keeping food animal from harboring the O157 bacteria in their systems, which includes efforts to develop a vaccine against the illness. We are working on improved detection methods to keep the bacteria out of meat plants. We are instituting more stringent time and temperature controls in meat processing plants like those that produce hamburger. We are working closely with state and local public health agencies to increase their effectiveness in avoiding and containing outbreaks, and we will soon require that all raw and partially-cooked meat and poultry products have safe handling instructions on the package. These safe handling directions will cover proper cooling and cooking.
The bacteria E. coli 0157:H7, also known just as 0157, is a rare but dangerous type of E. coli. It lives in the intestinal tracts of mammals and man. Some cattle carry the bacteria. It can be transferred from animal to animal, animal to man, from animal to man on food and from person to person through close contact or food. NOTE: 0157 can survive refrigeration and freezer storage. If present, it can multiply slowly even at 44 F. Thorough cooking to 160 F is the best safeguard against infection.
Undercooked hamburger and roast beef, raw milk, improperly processed cider, contaminated water and mayonnaise and vegetables grown in cow manure have caused outbreaks in this country over the last 10 years. Samples for retail stores have also shown the organism to be present on lamb, pork and poultry samples but no illness has been traced to these foods.
Since 1982, when 0157 was first shown to cause foodborne illness, there have been at least 16 major outbreaks in the United States. Some 22 deaths have been recorded. CDC experts estimate there may be as many as 20,000 cases a year.
USDAÍs Food Safety and Inspection Service and Agricultural Research Service are working with a number of private research and university groups to develop faster, more accurate testing for this bacteria in meat plants and on food products. Several commercial lab screening tests are currently in evaluation. If approved, these new tests will cut days off the lab tests now available. However, screening tests do not tell for certain whether the bacteria is present, and a true on-site quick test is still very much in the future.
0157 is dangerous. It appears that just a few of these bacteria can make you sick. After an incubation period of 4-9 days, the disease normally lasts 4-10 days. Patients may suffer bloody diarrhea, cramps and low-grade fevers.
Young children, the elderly and infirm may develop complications. Children may develop HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome) which can cause kidney failure, brain damage, strokes and seizures. A similar problem, TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura), can cause strokes, a side-effect often seen in the elderly.
Generally, if you cook meat, poultry and fish to 160 F - until all pink is gone - you can avoid problems with 0157. Return any undercooked food at a restaurant for further cooking. DonÍt drink raw milk. Use only safe, treated water. Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating. While most fresh cider on the market today is probably safe, you may want to take extra precautions if your family includes at-risk persons like the very young, the elderly or people with immune system problems. In that event, buy pasteurized cider OR heat it to 160 F (a slow simmer where steam is starting to rise from the pan) before serving or refrigerating.
Cider you find in a liquor store is pasteurized. Hard cider from a roadside stand could constitute a slight risk to at-risk persons.
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