Illness food-bome

B. cereus can cause two distinct types of food-bome intoxicants (as opposed to infections) (1) an emetic (vomiting) illness with a short incubation time of a few hours and (2) a diarrheal illness with an incubation time of 8-6 h. The emetic form is caused by a preformed heat-stable enterotoxin of molecular weight less than 5000 Da. The long incubation form of the illness is mediated by a heat-labile enterotoxin of molecular weight of 50 000 Da, which activates intestinal enzymes and causes intestinal fluid secretion. 

Episodes of food-bome illness associated with the consumption of animal food products are often caused by bacteria. Salmonella and Campy-... 

Food-borne illnesses can be caused by viruses and parasites, but the greatest number of food-bome illness outbreaks are caused by bacteria. An estimated 65% of all food-bome illnesses in the United States are caused by the ingestion of foods containing large doses of bacteria or bacterial toxins (Beck et al., 2010). Some of the most common bacterial food-bome illnesses include salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and sickness caused by Escherichia coli 0157 117. 

Food-bome illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Escherichia coli have hecome a major health concern in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, E. coli in contaminated foods infects 20 000 people in the United States and that 500 people die. E. coli has been responsible for outbreaks of illness from contaminated ground beef, fruit juices, lettuce, and alfalfa sprouts. 

Food-bome pathogens include naturally occurring bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella and Escherichia coli, which cause disease by their presence in the gastrointestinal tract. The pathophysiology and clinical presentation of these are well described in the wider literature. However, they are also relevant from a biological weapons perspective due to the capacity to cause widespread illness by the intentional release of organisms into food and on to food preparation areas. 

Most cases of food-bome gastrointestinal illness resolve spontaneously. Shigella and Salmonella infections have also been associated with Reiter s syndrome or reactive arthritis. Salmonella may also lead to osteomyelitis and endocarditis. They are also associated with haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in children. 

Nemerow, Nelson L., Agardy, Franklin J., and Salvato, Joseph A., Environmental Engineering Prevention and Response to Water-, Food-, Soil-, and Air-bome Disease and Illness, John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 2009. 

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