Foodborne Infection

Introduction:

Foodborne infection (also known as food poisoning) is an infection that results from the intake of infected meals contaminated with parasites, viruses, or pathogenic bacteria. Foodborne infection globally continues to be not under control, and outbreaks can cause financial and health losses. There are several foodborne infections like when food gets inflamed with some special kind of bacteria like Campylobacter, Salmonella, hemorrhagic E. coli, and Listeria causes the infection is known as Foodborne bacterial infection. Food intoxication consequences from the intake of toxins (or poisons) produced in meals through bacterial growth. So basically, toxins inside the bacteria cause infection. Toxins might not alter the appearance, smell or taste of meals.

What are foodborne infections?

Foodborne infection is an infection of the bowels and stomach. The infection can occur when you consume or drink something infected by a virus, parasite or bacteria. Often, the infection results in vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, stomachache, cramps, and fever once in a while. A foodborne infection can last between two and four days. 

The most common reason for foodborne infections is at home because of bad hygiene. Cross-infection is also a risk, for example, if uncooked cabbage and meat are both chopped at the same slicing board. Even using the same knife to cut both could cause infection by foodborne bacteria. There are many different kinds of parasites, bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can contaminate uncooked or improperly organised meals, leading to human infection and the transmission of numerous foodborne diseases.

Many foodborne pathogens additionally may be obtained through leisure or consuming water, from contact with animals or their environment, or through the individual-to-individual spread. The delay between the intake of infected meals and the arrival of the first symptoms of infection is referred to as the incubation period. The infectious dose is the number of agents that have to be fed on to provide an upward push to signs and symptoms of foodborne illness and varies in line with the agent and the consumer’s age and normal health. 

Being aware of this, let’s get into some different types of Foodborne diseases. 

Types of Foodborne disease:

• Listeriosis-  Listeriosis is a foodborne bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria. Listeriosis can cause extreme illness, including intense meningitis, sepsis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong damage or even death.

  Symptoms 

The symptoms change with the infected person. 

-In pregnant women: symptoms can include headache, loss of balance, fever and convulsions, stillbirth, premature delivery and life-threatening infections of newborns. 

-Normal person: symptoms can include stomach ache, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. 

Treatment: Treatment for listeriosis relies upon how extreme your signs and symptoms are and your basic health.

-For mild symptoms: follow a good diet, stay hydrated and maintain hygiene around yourself. 

-For major symptoms: immediately consult a doctor and start the treatment.

• Salmonellosis-  Salmonellosis caused by different species of Salmonella bacteria. It is also a food-borne infection and is described as a disease, normally either infectious or poisonous, because of agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food.

Symptoms:

– Fever 

– diarrhoea 

– chills 

– Blood in stool 

– Nausea 

– Headache 

Treatment: 

– Maintain hygiene 

– Eat fruits and vegetables 

– Stay hydrated 

– Avoid using public toilets 

• Foodborne Botulism- Foodborne botulism is probably a fatal disease. It is an intoxication normally caused by ingestion of the botulinum toxins, strong neurotoxins, formed in infected foods. It is not a contagious disease. It is pretty rare. The disorder usually develops after ingesting improperly processed home-canned meals or home-preserved meats, or contaminated food.

Symptoms:

– Double vision 

– Blurred vision 

– Dry mouth 

– Drooping eyelids 

– Muscle weakness 

– Difficulty swallowing 

Treatment: 

Treatment to cure this disease is proper medication by consulting a doctor.

• Shigellosis- shigellosis is a foodborne infection caused by shigella bacteria. Sometimes it indicates signs like diarrhoea; however, it can be life-threatening. Symptoms start in 1-2 days and Last for at least seven days.

Symptoms:

– Fever 

– Stomach cramps 

– Dehydration 

– Swelling under eyes 

Treatment: 

– drink plenty of water

– Azithromycin, and  Ciprofloxacin is some common medicines. 

Most food poisoning is slight and resolves without treatment. Ensuring good enough hydration is the essential factor of treatment. 

Food-related to Foodborne diseases:

• Fruits and veggies can also be infected with unclean water to clean the produce or animal waste. At the same time, manure is used to fertilize produce within the field.
• Unpasteurized fruit juices or cider also can be infected if there are any bacteria on the fruit and used to make the juice.
• If a meal item gets touched by someone who’s sick with diarrhoea, fever, or vomiting, or who has currently had such an illness, it can turn out to be contaminated.
• Raw ingredients of animal origin, that is, uncooked eggs and uncooked meat, unpasteurized milk, and uncooked shellfish, are the most likely to be contaminated.

Some basic prevention for foodborne infection:

– Regular cleaning at homes 

– Maintain full hygiene and

  sanitation in the kitchen 

– Avoid canned food

– Follow a healthy diet 

– Try to do basic stretching 

  and exercise

– Stay hydrated 

If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, take it precisely as directed and finish taking all the tablets even if you feel better.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we have talked about everything about foodborne infections. We’ve thoroughly discussed all the essential points about different kinds of food-borne diseases, their symptoms, and the most important of all, their prevention. Many small steps have been mentioned that should be taken to fight and be safe from such diseases. And we have also mentioned the food responsible for foodborne infections. We have also mentioned several bacteria causing these harmful diseases.