Handbook of Natural Toxins

Food Poisoning

Anthony Tu, Anthony Tu

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781351442244
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technologie et ingénierie
• Subtopic: Sciences de l'alimentation

This resource discusses all aspects of food poisoning and its sources such as bacteria, plant, and fungus - presenting the pathogens and food toxins in detail. Featuring contributions from over 30 leading authorities in the field, Food Poisoning...: describes bacterial food contaminants including staphylococcal, salmonellae, E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, cholera, and botulism; covers the prevention and treatment of mushroom and other poisonings from grains and plant-type foods; explains how to aid allergic reactions resulting from eating certain foods; identifies which kinds of seafood may cause severe poisoning; explores teratogenic aspects of food poisoning, outlining which foods pregnant women should avoid; and shows how those sensitive to nitrosamines can avoid such food poisoning.;Extensively referenced with more than 2200 literature citations, Volume 7: Food Poisoning serves as essential reading for toxicologists, microbiologists, dietitians and nutritionists, public health officials, food scientists and technologists, agricultural chemists and biochemists, bacteriologists, and graduate-level students in food science and toxicology.

I

PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS

1

Public Health Problems of Foodborne Diseases and Their Prevention

Frank L. Bryan

Food Safety Consultation and Training, Lithonia, Georgia

I. INTRODUCTION

II. STATUS OF FOODBORNE DISEASES

A. Incidence

B. Place of Mishandling

C. Implicated Foods

D. Factors That Contribute to Causation of Outbreaks

E. Economic Impact

III. APPROACHES FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL

A. Surveillance of Diseases

B. Surveillance of Food-Establishment Workers

C. Surveillance of Foods

D. Surveillance of Food-Processing and -Preparation Environments

E. Surveillance of Food-Processing and -Preparation Operations

F. Training of Persons Who Handle Foods and Supervise Its Safety and Quality

G. Education of the Public About Food Safety

References

I. INTRODUCTION

Foodborne diseases are syndromes that are acquired as a result of ingesting foods that contain either an infectious or a toxigenic microorganism or a poisonous substance. For convenience they are classified into three categories. These are (1) infections, (2) toxin-mediated infections, and (3) poisonings or intoxications. The infections occur when microorganisms (e.g., pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites) invade and multiply in the intestinal mucosa or other tissues. The toxin-mediated infections are caused by certain pathogenic bacteria that produce enterotoxins (substances that affect water, glucose, and electrolyte transfer) during their colonization and growth in the intestine tract. The poisonings or intoxications follow ingestion of either poisonous chemicals, radionuclides, or toxins produced by microorganisms (e.g., marine plankton, bacteria). Hence, food poisoning is a misnomer, because illnesses result from mechanisms other than poisonings. The term, however, is often used in a general way to refer to illness resulting from the ingestion of foods or otherwise foodborne diseases.

This chapter introduces the foodborne disease problem by giving examples of the status of foodborne diseases in the United States. It also describes means by which these diseases can be prevented and controlled. The following chapters describe specific foodborne diseases and the measures for their control in more detail.

II. STATUS OF FOODBORNE DISEASES

Foodborne diseases are a continuing and nagging problem in all countries. Reports of foodborne diseases in the developed countries where surveillance is practiced are usually sporadic and quite incomplete. Yet, the sparse data suggests that the problem causes considerable morbidity and economic consequences. In developing countries, a significant proportion of deaths and illnesses attributed to gastroenteritis are foodborne, but the specific amount is unknown because of lack of investigations and surveillance records.

A foodborne disease outbreak is defined (with exceptions) as an incident in which two or more persons experience a similar illness, usually gastrointestinal, after ingestion of a common food, and epidemiological analysis indicates that food is the source of the etiological agents. The exceptions are a single case of botulism, a plant or chemical poisoning where ingestion is the mode of transmission, or any situation where ingestion of a food invariably leads to illness. A case is a person who shows signs or feels symptoms as a result of eating a contaminated food.

A. Incidence

Table 1 illustrates trends of annual reported outbreaks and cases of foodborne diseases over a period of 50 years. These indicate that there is no decline in the reported incidence despite improvements in sanitation, physical facilities where foods are processed and prepared, standards of living, and education of the populace. From 400 to 600 outbreaks of usually between 10,000 and 30,000 cases are reported annually. Large decreases in the reported number of outbreaks usually indicate a change in responsibility for foodborne disease surveillance or a gap in summarizing the data and a corresponding loss of reporting by state health agencies. Major changes are noted by footnotes. Variation in annual reported cases relate to whether large outbreaks were detected.

Table 1 Foodborne Outbreaks and Cases Reported in the United States, 1938–1987

Source: Based on Bryan, 1972, adjusted through 1970; updated with surveillance reports from the CDC without adjustments.

It does not take much experience with surveillance of foodborne diseases to realize that the reports are woefully inadequate. Some of the reasons are that some persons have gastroenteritis and never realize that food was the vehicle (“It’s the flu or something.”) and others suffer their syndrome without seeking medical attention or complaining to health authorities. They may not, however, return to the place or eat the same type of food they f...