Commentary on Food Poisoning’s Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

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Food poisoning, a type of foodborne illness, is a common condition resulting from consumption of food or beverages contaminated with bacteria, virus, fungi, or parasite, or toxins secreted by these organisms during different stages of food processing, production, or preservation. Foodborne illness is often divided into two categories: foodborne infection and foodborne intoxication. Foodborne infections have a longer duration from ingestion to symptom onset.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every ten individuals in the world becomes ill as a result of consuming contaminated food, and a significant percentage of food poisoning cases occur in the household. Primarily in developing countries, food poisoning causes about two million deaths annually.

Food poisoning occurs depending on various factors. Inadequate food safety awareness, improper food handling, and insufficient personal cleanliness may allow microbes to grow in sufficient numbers to cause a food-borne illness. About half of the cases are related to improper food storage or reheating practices, while the other half are related to cross-contamination issues, such as using the same cutting board or knife for multiple items. Cross-contamination can also occur when preparing food. Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and seafood are the leading causes of foodborne illness. Fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, can also be contaminated, particularly if they are not adequately washed or cultivated on contaminated soil.

Type	Associated pathogen or toxin	Approximate onset time to symptoms	Predominant symptoms	Common sources
Bacteria	Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins	1 – 7 hours (mean 2 – 4 hours)	Nausea, vomiting, retching, diarrhea, abdominal pain	Unrefrigerated meats, egg, salad
	Bacillus cereus (emetic toxin)	8 – 16 hours (2-4 h if emesis predominant)	Vomiting or diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea	Starchy food such as pasta or rice dishes
	Clostridium perfringens	2 – 36 hours (mean 6 – 12 hours)	Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, sometimes nausea and vomiting	Undercooked meat or poultry
	Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., E. coli	6 – 96 hours (usually 1 – 3 days)	Fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, headache	Egg, poultry, unpasteurized milk or juice
	Vibrio Cholearae	6 h to 5 days	Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, malaise, nausea, headache, dehydration	Seafood including fish, shellfish, crabs, oyster, and clams especially raw
	Enterohaemorrhagic E.coli, Camylobacter spp	1 – 10 days (median 3 – 4 days)	Diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, malaise, fever	Raw or undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, contaminated water
	Clostridium botulinum and its neurotoxins	2 h to 6 days (usually 12 – 36 h)	Vertigo, double or blurred vision, loss of light reflex, difficulty in swallowing, dry mouth, weakness, respiratory paralysis	Home-canned or fermented foods
Virus	Norovirus	12 – 48 hours	Nausea, vomiting, watery non-bloody diarrhea, dehydration	Raw fish or shellfish, contaminated water
	Rotavirus, Astrovirus, enteric Adenovirus	3 – 5 days	Fever, vomiting, watery non-inflammatory diarrhea	Food, water or objects, such as faucet handles or utensils, contaminated with the virus
Parasites	Toxoplasma gondii	10 – 13 days	Fever, headache, myalgia, rash	Contaminated undercooked meat or shellfish or unwashed contamintated fresh produce
	Taenia saginata, Taenia solium	3 – 6 months	Nervousness, insomnia, hunger pains, anorexia, weight loss, abdominal pain, sometimes gastroenteritis	Raw or undercooked contaminated beef or pork

Food allergy is described as an adverse health condition that results from a particular immune response that happens consistently when exposed to a specific food. Food allergies have rapid onset but are short-lived and symptoms are consistent with every exposure. Food poisoning, on the other hand, may have rapid or delayed onset and symptoms are sporadic even with the same meal that was previously tolerated. A history of atopic conditions can be beneficial because food allergies frequently coexist with other comorbidities like atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

Food poisoning normally resolves rapidly without medical treatment. When you have food poisoning and experience vomiting or diarrhea predominantly, you should replace lost fluid and electrolytes to avoid or treat moderate dehydration as it is also the primary treatment for food poisoning. If vomiting is a concern, drink tiny amounts of clear liquid. You may need to go to the hospital to get IV fluids if you get severe dehydration. Drinking oral rehydration solutions (liquid containing glucose and electrolytes) such as oralyte can be beneficial to older adults, people with a weakened immune system, adults with severe diarrhea or symptoms of dehydration. In addition to rehydration solutions, doctors may prescribe antibiotics for cases caused by bacteria or parasites. Patients can also be given symptomatic medicine if needed.

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