Food

Poisoning
DR.P.C.SARMA
 Food
Poisoning
Food poisoning is defined as food borne illness
that is acquired through ingestion of food
contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms,
which can be either bacterial and non bacterial
toxins.
OR
Food poisoning is the acute manifestation of
diarrhea or vomiting caused by toxins produced
by microorganisms.
 Classification of food
borne diseases
Food borne diseases are
classified into:
1. Food borne infections and
2. Food borne intoxications
1. Food borne infections :
Infective doses of
microorganisms are ingested with
food .

2. Food borne intoxications:

Preformed toxin ingested with
food.
Food borne
infections
 Food borne
• infections
Food borne infections are caused by the entry
of pathogenic microorganisms contaminating
food into the GIT.

• long incubation periods.

• Characterized by fever.

• Either be fungal, bacterial, viral or parasitic.

 Food Borne Infections
types
BACTERIAL Fungal
• Salmonellosis • Aspergillus
• Campylobacteriosis species
• Escherichia coli
infection PARASITIC
• Shigellosis • Cryptosporodiosi
• Cholera s
• Vibrio parahemolyticus • Giardiasis
• Vibrio vulnificus
• Yersiniosis VIRAL
 Salmonellosi
• s caused by consumption of
Food poisoning
food contaminated with Non typhoidal
Salmonella.
Salmonella Salmonella newport.
typhimurium Salmonella
Salmonella enteritidis softenburg
Salmonella Salmonella infantis
choleraisuis
• A heavy dose up to 10,000 -1,000,000 bacilli
per gram of food is required to cause
infection.

• Incubation period is 12 -24 hours.

 Transmission
1.Consumption of contaminated food from
carriers, from human excreta.

2. Transferred to food through hands, utensils,

equipments, flies etc.

3.Presence of flies, cockroaches, rats, in the

food environment that act as vectors of the
disease.
 Clinical Features
• Fever • In severe
• diarrhea cases
• vomiting – septicaemi
• abdominal a
pain – Leucopeni
• headache a
• prostration – endocardit
and is
• malaise. – pericarditi
s.
 Clinical
• Fever features
• Diarrhoea with blood and
• mucous Abdominal pain
• Nausea Vomiting.
•

• The jejunum, ileum and colon are primarily

affected resulting in acute inflammation and
abscess formation.

• The disease is self-limiting.

 Transmissio
• n by ingestion of
Infection occurs
contaminated food-stuffs:
– meat from infected animals(poultry)
– unpasteurized milk and
– possibly cross-contamination from
these sources to foods eaten
uncooked or unrefrigerated.
 Escherichia coli food
borne infection
• Escherichia coli are potential food
poisoning pathogens which are widely
distributed.
• E. coli strains involved in food borne
infection fall into the following groups:
1. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC),
2. Enterotoxigenic E. Coli (ETEC),
3. Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and
4. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).
 Enterotoxigenic E.coli food
borne infection
• Main cause of endemic diarrhea in developing
countries.

• ETEC produce two toxins which may be labile

toxin (LT) or Stable toxin(ST) or both.

• It is toxigenic but not invasive type.

• Transmission is by contaminated food and

water.
 Clinical
features
Common features Less common features
• profuse, watery • Fever
diarrhea with no • Nausea with or without
blood vomiting
• Anorexia
• abdominal • Headache
cramping. • Muscle aches and
bloating
 Traveler's
Diarrhea
• People travelling to developing countries
are at high risk of developing diarrhea.

• ETEC is the leading cause of Traveler’s

diarrhea in Asia, Africa, Latin America.

• IP- 5-15 day.

 Enterohemorrhagic E.
• coli
EHEC infection is caused by Escherichia coli
serotype O157:H7.
• Toxin is secreted called as verocytotoxin or
Shiga- like toxin.

• causes hemorrhagic colitis in humans,

diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting.

• complications - bloody diarrhea, acute

ulcerative or ischemic colitis and
HUS(Haemolytic uraemic syndrome).
 Shigellosis (Bacillary
dysentery)
• Shigellosis is caused by members of the
genus Shigella.
– Shigella dysenteriae,
– Shigella flexneri,
– Shigella boydii and
– Shigella soneii.

• The infective dose is very small 10-100

bacilli.

• Spread is by fecal-oral route.

 Clinical
• The illnesssymptoms
begins 1 to 4 days after
ingestion of bacteria and may last 4 to 7
days.

• Symptoms include :
– fever,
– watery or bloody diarrhea with mucous,
– nausea or vomiting,
– abdominal pain,
– dehydration
 Cholera
• Cholera is caused by Vibrio cholera.

• Vibrios are ingested in drink or food.

• The organism multiply in the small

intestine to produce a very potent
enterotoxin, which stimulates a
persistent out pouring of isotonic fluid
by the gut mucosal cells.
 Transmissio
n
• Man is the only natural host of the cholera
vibrios.

• Spread of infection is from person-to-person,

through contaminated water or foods.

• Shrimps, contaminted water, shellfish and

vegetables are the most frequent carriers.
 Clinical
• symptoms
Cholera is typically characterized by the sudden
onset of effortless vomiting and profuse watery
diarrhea mucous flakes.

• 20-30 stools per day

• Death may occur in 12 to 24 hrs due to rapid

dehydration and hypovolemic shock.
 VIRAL FOODBORNE INFECTIONS
• Viruses are common pathogens
transmitted through food.

• Hepatitis A and Norwalk-like virus

(Norovirus) are the most important viral
food borne pathogens.

• These viruses are highly infectious and

may lead to widespread outbreaks
 FOOD BORNE
INTOXICATIONS
 Clostridium botulinum
foodborne
• Botulism is a type of food poisoning
caused by
consumption Intoxication
of enterotoxins produced by strains of
Clostridium botulinum.

• Intoxication is caused by toxins A, B,C1,C2,D,E, F & G.

• Spores of C. botulinum type A can survive

temperatures of 120oC.

• Type E strains are non-proteolytic while the rest are

proteolytic.
 Growth
• Toxin characteristics
production occurs at temperature
range between 25-30oC.
• Proteolytic strains produce an active
botulinal toxin, while non-proteolyic
strains produce inactive pro-toxin that
require activation by trypsin.

Non-proteolytic Inactive pro-toxin

strain
TRYPSIN

Active
Toxin
 Characteristic of Botulinal
toxins
• These toxins are neurotoxins, highly toxic,
heat labile.
• The toxins can resist the action of the
gastric and intestinal juices.
• Botulinal toxin is one of the most lethal
poisons known.
• The calculated lethal dose for an adult
person is 10 µg.
 Types of foods
•
implicated
Foods associated with anaerobic conditions
such as spoiled canned meat, or hams and
bacon stacked without air access, are
particularly liable to be infective.

• Uncooked fresh foods are safe because they are

eaten before the toxin has had time to develop.
 Clinical
features
Adult botulism
• The period of incubation in man is 12-72
• hrs.
Nausea headache
Vomiting dryness of skin
Fatigue respiratory
Dizziness failure
Nerve lack of fever,
paralysis double vision
• Duration of illness 1-10
days.
 Infant
• botulism
Occurs in infants less than 1 year of age through
ingestion of spores in honey.

• The spores germinate in the GIT with toxin

production.

• A high number of spores are found in feces of

infants during acute phase of the disease.

• Constipation,poor feeding,lethargy,weakness,
floppiness
 Fungal
intoxications
• These are caused by consumption of
metabolites called as mycotoxins
produced by fungi, while growing in food.

• Grains(Poor dry storage), oilseeds, fruits

and vegetables are mostly involved.

• Of significance to public health is

aflatoxicosis.
 Aflatoxicosi
• s caused by Aflatoxins produced
Aflatoxicosis is
by the fungi, e.g. Aspergillus flavus and
Aspergillus parasiticus

• Four types of aflatoxins have been

described i.e. aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2.
 Effects of
aflatoxins
• large doses are lethal : acute
hemorrhagic syndromes.

• Medium doses are sub-lethal :

histotoxic changes.

• small doses for long term : liver

tumors as these are potent
carcinogens.
 CHEMICAL FOODBORNE
INTOXICATION
• This is a type of food borne intoxication arising
from consumption of food containing
poisonous chemicals.

• These may be intentionally or unintentionally

added to foods as a result of producing,
processing, transporting or storage.
 Chemical substances
involved
Chemical food borne intoxication involve
the following substances:
• Heavy metals e.g. antimony, mercury,
arsenic, flouride, lead, cadmium, cyanide
etc.
• Pesticides and insecticides .
• Herbicides and Fungicides.
• Radionuclides e.g. radium, barium, iodine
isotopes etc.
 Clinicalfeatures
• very short incubation period(mins to few
hrs).
• mainly involved are GIT and CNS :
– Nausea
– headache
– Convulsions
– gastrointestinal irritation
– abdominal cramps
– vomiting and diarrhea
– Pallor
– Cyanosis
– blurred vision
Preventive
Measures
• Regular hand-
• washing
Sanitary improvements.
• Health Education: Food handler should be
educated in matter of the clean habits, and
• personal hygiene.
fast cooling of food so that the remaining spores
might not germinate.
• Thorough washing and sanitation of containers
while handling food items.
THANK

OU