Food poisoning

Quick Overview

• What is food poisoning? Strictly speaking, this means poisoning through the consumption of foods that are spoiled by toxins (toxins). In a broader sense, a food infection (consumption of foods that are spoiled by pathogens) is also called food poisoning.
• Causes: Toxins (food poisoning in the narrower sense); Bacteria (as in Salmonella poisoning, listeriosis, botulism), fungi, viruses or parasites (food poisoning in the broader sense or food infection)
• symptoms: usually nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps; depending on the trigger often other complaints
• Treatment: depending on the cause and severity of food poisoning. Generally drink a lot, eat light food. Possibly. Medicines (medicine for vomiting and diarrhea, antibiotics, antidotes for certain toxins, activated charcoal), possibly pump out the stomach.
• Forecast: Food poisoning usually heals by itself within a few days. Severe cases as well as children and the elderly may need to be hospitalized. Some forms of food poisoning are life threatening, such as some mushroom poisoning and botulism.
• Prevent: pay attention to fresh products and hygiene in the kitchen; refrain from raw food as much as possible; only drink clean water;

Food Poisoning: Symptoms & Causes

The symptoms of food poisoning (including food infection) may vary slightly depending on the cause. Classic signs that almost always occur, however, are:

• nausea
• Vomit
• diarrhea
• Stomach cramps

Most food poisoning symptoms are noticeable within minutes to hours after eating the spoiled or poisonous food. In rare cases – such as an infection with the bacterium Campylobacter – this so-called incubation period can also be several days.

Often the symptoms of food poisoning are only moderately pronounced and disappear after a few days on their own. Sometimes it comes to a heavy poisoning with very pronounced symptoms such as severe vomiting, very bloody diarrhea or more than ten diarrhea per day. At least then you should definitely go to the doctor!

Food poisoning by pathogens

In case of food poisoning by pathogens (food infection), the exact symptoms depend on the type of pathogen. Important infections are Samonellosis, Listeriosis and Botulism:

salmonellosis

Salmonella poisoning is caused by bacteria from the Salmonella group. The pathogens are usually taken from raw or insufficiently heated animal foods. Above all, the consumption of raw eggs carries a high risk potential. Symptoms of salmonellosis are in addition to the above-mentioned complaints especially chills and fever. Sometimes an infection with Salmonella is symptomless.

listeriosis

This is an infection with bacteria of the genus Listeria. These are found, for example, in animal foods such as raw milk, soft cheese (for example Roquefort and Brie) or raw meat. They can also multiply in vacuum packaging. Low temperatures (in the fridge, for example) do not inhibit the growth of these bacteria.

A Listeria infection usually causes no symptoms in otherwise healthy people. When symptoms occur, it is often joint and muscle pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Further complaints are possible if the listeria spread to other organ systems. It is particularly dangerous if they penetrate into the brain and cause meningitis there (Meningitis). This manifests itself by high fever, headache and neck stiffness. In addition, the Listeria can enter the blood system and cause blood poisoning (sepsis). Inflammation of the inner wall of the heart (endocarditis) or peritonitis (peritonitis) may also be the result of infection with Listeria.

Especially infants, the elderly and people whose immune system is severely weakened by other illnesses or drugs are susceptible to such serious complications. Pregnant women and their unborn child are particularly at risk: Listeria-related food poisoning in the expectant mother can trigger a miscarriage or stillbirth.

botulism

This rare but very dangerous infection is caused by Clostridium botulinum (Clostridium) bacteria. It is usually caused by the consumption of contaminated food – particularly suspicious are packaged products whose packaging (such as canned food) is bloated. Even home-made preserves and even pickled vegetables and fruits are possible causes of Clostridia-related food poisoning. Symptoms of infection affect the nervous system because it is attacked by the bacteria:

About 20 to 36 hours after consuming Clostridia-contaminated foods, the first signs of paralysis of the eye muscles appear. Later, there is a weakening of the entire skeletal musculature, speech disorders, a slowed heartbeat and low blood pressure as well as constipation and urinary retention. Also typical are a dry mouth, difficulty swallowing and vision, dilated pupils, drooping eyelids and reduced reflexes.

It becomes dangerous when nerves are involved, which are responsible for respiration. Without mechanical ventilation, botulism can then lead to death from respiratory arrest. Patients must therefore always be treated in the hospital.

Other bacterial causes and their symptoms

There are many other pathogens that can be responsible for a food infection. Here are some examples and typical symptoms of the infection:

• Escherichia coli: The bacterium E. coli is found mainly in raw beef and raw milk. Also a transmission from person to person is possible. An E. coli infection triggers first aqueous, later bloody diarrhea.
• staphylococci: These bacteria can get from the hands in the dishes when dirty handling in the kitchen and thus cause food poisoning (heating the food does not kill the germs). Symptoms are low temperature and circulatory insufficiency.
• Yersinia: The transmission of the bacterium Yersinia usually occurs through contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated animal food. Common symptoms include headache, chills and fever.
• Campylobacter: The bacterium Campylobacter is found mainly in under-heated poultry meat and raw egg products. It can be killed by cooking food. Symptoms of Campylobacter food poisoning include high fever, headache, fatigue, and watery diarrhea.
• Shigella: These germs are found more frequently in warm areas with poor hygiene standards, where feces or waste water contaminate food or drinking water. Food poisoning caused by Shigella causes spasmodic abdominal pain, painful bowel movements and diarrhea.

Food poisoning by fungi

Of the Consumption of poisonous mushrooms (such as toadstool, tuber-leaf mushroom) causes a food poisoning caused by fungi. Symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea and vomiting occur soon after the mushroom meal. Other possible symptoms include sweating, chills, dizziness, impaired consciousness, cognitive disorders, shortness of breath, palpitations and / or balance disorders. The extent of the symptoms of poisoning depends on the type and amount of the fungal toxin absorbed.

The alarmed doctor should be informed about which fungi were (presumably) consumed. In addition, it is very helpful if a reminder of the meal or vomit has been stored so that the doctor can analyze these samples.

Symptoms of intoxication can also occur if moldy foods are consumed. For example, some fungal fungi produce aflatoxins, which severely damage the liver.

Food poisoning by fish, shells, crabs

Fish poisoning can occur after eating fish, shellfish (mussel poisoning) or cancers. Sometimes the reason is that the water creatures stored incorrectly or too long became so that in them bacteria multiplied, which then trigger poisoning symptoms.

Food poisoning after a fish meal can also be done by ciguatoxin to be triggered. This is a toxin (toxin) produced by aquatic cell monsters that can enter the food fish via the food chain. A poisoning manifests itself in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Sometimes it is also the cause of food poisoning a naturally poisonous fish, These include, for example, the puffer fish. They contain the strong nerve poison tetrodotoxin, It can cause paralysis of the skeletal and respiratory muscles and lead to death so quickly! Only with proper preparation are meals made from puffer fish free of the neurotoxin.

Food poisoning by plants

A food poisoning by plant toxins occurs especially in toddlers – they are stuck out of curiosity and unnoticed by adults often plant parts in the mouth. Various plants produce toxins to protect against predators. They are referred to as poison plants, if they are toxic even in small quantities for humans and animals. Examples of poisonous plants and their poisoning symptoms are:

• Ivy: in high dose stomach problems and fever
• Yew: circulatory disorders, respiratory paralysis, consciousness clouding
• Laburnum: paralysis until respiratory arrest
• Angel Trumpet: Limitation of Consciousness, Heart Failure
• Herbstzeitlose: Nausea, respiratory paralysis
• Lilies of the valley: life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias
• Eisenhut: hypothermia, spasms, heart or respiratory paralysis, death
• Thimble: cardiac arrhythmia, inflammation, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, hallucinations
• Henbane: hallucinations, heart complaints
• Potato: poisoning only when using the leaves as tea or eating green potatoes: diarrhea, respiratory paralysis
• Tomato: Risk of death when using the leaves as tea

Contact the emergency physician immediately if you believe that you or your child has eaten poisonous plants!

Food poisoning by pollutants

If food with toxic metals or metal compounds (Lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc, etc.) are contaminated, the consumption can also cause symptoms of intoxication. This is especially true if someone consumes a larger amount or repeatedly smaller amounts of the contaminated food. The type and severity of the symptoms depend on the pollutant and the amount consumed. For example, organic lead compounds can disrupt the central nervous system, causing hallucinations, arousal states, and convulsions. Parkinson-like symptoms and paralysis can also occur as long-term consequences.

Food poisoning: risk factors

Foodborne pathogens (food infections) often occur as local epidemics, such as when canteen food or food on a cruise ship is spoiled. Especially in the summer months accumulate such food poisoning, as in warm temperatures, the pathogens multiply faster.

In some countries, the risk of food poisoning is higher than in others. On the one hand, this is due to different hygiene standards in the cultivation, preparation and sale of food. On the other hand, the climate plays a role: in tropical and subtropical regions, temperatures prevail, in which bacteria can reproduce particularly well. For example, holidaymakers in the Mediterranean region should pay particular attention to adequate hygiene standards in order to avoid bacterial food poisoning.

Even viruses can enter the body via food and cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Doctors then do not speak of food poisoning, but of a viral infection, the cause of contaminated food. Contamination may be due to food coming into contact with infected feces or contaminated water or being prepared by infected persons. In addition, meat and offal of infected animals come as a source of infection in question.

Viruses can not multiply in the food and do not spoil it. But they can remain infectious for a long time. Food is not visible from the outside, whether they are contaminated by viruses. The taste or smell can not be detected contamination. Especially dangerous are ready to eat cold dishes such as salad, fruit, desserts and baked goods.

Viral-induced gastrointestinal complaints often occur in community settings such as kindergartens, schools, retirement homes and hospitals.

Food poisoning: Common causes and how to avoid them

reason	source of danger	prevention
bacteria	raw meat, raw eggs, milk, soft cheese / raw milk, contaminated drinking water	Store food properly and prepare under hygienic conditions. Store leftovers of prepared food in a cool place and reheat thoroughly before eating. Avoid raw foods as much as possible. In countries with poor hygiene standards, eat only cooked, fried or peeled foods and only drink boiled or bottled water; do without ice cubes.
poisons	Fish, mushrooms, plants	Only eat mushrooms that you know exactly. In fish / marine animals and cold chain must not be interrupted between catch and consumption. Look for smell. Possibly. completely abstain from raw fish. In households with small children as possible to do without poisonous room and garden plants. Watch out for what the kids put in their mouths.
metals	Baking powder, processed cheese, coffee whitener, fruit, vegetables, canned food, oysters, fish, mushrooms, cereals, rice products, drinking water	Only eat small amounts of potentially contaminated food (especially for children). Wash or peel fruit thoroughly. Inquire about catch / growing area. Discard damaged / bloated canned food.
molds	Rye, barley, dried fruits, nuts, corn kernels (aflatoxin)	Aflatoxin: Consume only products from the EU or tested products. Pay attention to mold stains (white to greenish-gray and hairy) on the food. Do not drink from opaque containers.
Viruses (not classic food poisoning, but viral infection)	Contamination of food and drinking water by fecal matter	Peel fruit or crops (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) or wash thoroughly. In countries with poor hygiene standards, eat only cooked / fried foods and drink only boiled water or bottled water; do without ice cubes.

Food poisoning: treatment

Generally, the treatment of food poisoning depends on the cause of the condition. Treatment may be necessary in hospital, such as immunocompromised patients or botulism.

General measures

For mild ailments, general tips and home remedies often help. So you should with diarrhea drink a lotto compensate for the loss of water and salts. Suitable drinks include water and tea with sugar. Especially with stronger diarrhea, an electrolyte solution from the pharmacy is recommended. Alternatively, you can prepare a salt-sugar solution yourself by adding five tablespoons of sugar, one and a half scoops of table salt and a glass of packaged orange juice to one liter of packaged or boiled water. Mix the whole thing and drink in sips.

Even if you do not feel like eating because of diarrhea and vomiting, you should not give up food for long periods of food poisoning. In the first days recommend doctors easily digestible like rusks, bananas, rice, white bread and broth. On acidic, difficult to digest and mucous irritating food and drinks you should refrain (fruit juices, raw foods, dairy products, fatty foods, soft drinks, coffee, alcohol, etc.).

Once the symptoms of food poisoning have subsided, you should be wary of what you eat for some time. The gastrointestinal tract is still under attack and needs some time to fully recover.

Medicines and more

In principle, vomiting or diarrhea associated with food poisoning can be alleviated by using special medicines: antiemetics like metoclopramide help against nausea and vomiting, antidiarrheals like loperamide stop the diarrhea. Such drugs are not generally recommended. The purpose of diarrhea and vomiting is to quickly remove the causative agents or toxins from the body. The doctor will therefore prescribe antiemetics and antidiarrhoeal drugs only in certain cases, such as severe vomiting or more than ten diarrhea per day.

Depending on the cause of food poisoning, other medicines and therapies may be used. Thus, patients with bacterial food poisoning sometimes get antibiotics, This applies, for example, to listeriosis and sometimes to salmonellosis.

at botulism a treatment in intensive care is necessary. The patients receive as quickly as possible antidote (Antitoxin) against the botulinum toxin. You may also need to be artificially ventilated.

Specific antivenoms are also available for some fungal toxins. In addition, in a mushroom-related food poisoning, those affected often the Gastric pumped out.

Sometimes, food poisoning also happens activated carbon (medical coal) administered. It binds bacteria and toxins in the digestive tract. Everything together is then eliminated with the chair.

There is evidence that probiotics can shorten the duration of infection-related diarrhea. Probiotics are special microorganisms (such as lactic acid bacteria) that can colonize the gut and displace diarrhea. They are added to some foods (such as yoghurt) and offered as capsules and powders.

Food poisoning: prevention

In order to avoid food poisoning, food hygiene and sufficient treatment of the drinking water are necessary. Each individual can contribute to this:

• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consumption or preparation.
• Wash hands, dishes and kitchen utensils thoroughly before, between and after cooking (especially when preparing raw meat or fish).
• Always clean and regularly renew the rinse and cleaning rags used in the kitchen.
• When cooking, wear clean clothes and no jewelry.
• Roast fish and meat dishes well.
• Do not consume raw milk products, raw fish and raw meat.
• Store food in tightly closed containers and at suitable temperatures (eg, dairy products in the refrigerator).
• Note the expiry date of food.
• Avoid pets, rodents and insects in the kitchen area.
• Dispose of food if pets, insects or rodents (such as rats, mice) had contact with it.
• Dispose of packaging and thawing water from meat products immediately.
• Throw away food that tastes funny or unusual.

To prevent food poisoning frozen food To avoid this, you should take care to interrupt the cold chain as briefly as possible. Bring frozen products home quickly after shopping, using a cool bag when the outside temperature is high. Frozen foods should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator (not at room temperature). This is especially important in fish, as in the thawing water bacteria can multiply well and trigger food poisoning. Before cooking, the fish is washed off.

For the preparation of food, the raw eggs contain (tiramisu, mayonnaise, etc.), you should take special care to use only fresh eggs.

Inflated packaging or bulging lids Canned food can indicate contamination with Clostridium botulinum. Under no circumstances should such foods be eaten, otherwise severe food poisoning (botulism) may occur.

Holidays in southern countries

In some countries, hygiene standards and drinking water quality are not as good as in Germany. This is true for many popular holiday destinations in the Mediterranean. That is why measures to prevent food poisoning are particularly important there.

For example, if possible, avoid foods that are raw, prepared with uncooked water, or served lukewarm in the restaurant in such countries. Best heed the saying: “Peel it, boil it, cook it or forget it!”, This means: you should refrain from all foods that were not peeled, cooked or roasted.

If there is any doubt about the purity of tap water, you should only use boiled or bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth.

Food poisoning: examinations and diagnosis

If the symptoms of (presumed) food poisoning, such as diarrhea and vomiting do not disappear on their own within a few days, you should go to the doctor. For very severe complaints, as well as for children and the elderly, a suspected food poisoning should generally be clarified by a doctor. In such cases, fluid and electrolyte loss from diarrhea and vomiting can quickly become dangerous.

The doctor provides the diagnosis “food poisoning” in most cases on the basis of medical history (Anamnesis) and the complaints posed. The classic symptom constellation (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) and the report of the person concerned about the consumption of mushroom dishes or unfamiliar or strangely tasting foods or drinks already provide strong evidence of poisoning.

In severe cases of food poisoning with severe diarrhea and / or Blutbeimengungen in the chair sends the doctor Stool and blood samples to the laboratory to have the pathogen accurately determined. If botulism is suspected, check whether it is in the chair or vomit the patient has botulinum toxin detected. Since the result is known only after about 24 hours, but botulism is very dangerous, for safety’s sake, usually before the appropriate therapy is started.

Often a special meal (mushroom dish, canned fruit, etc.) is suspected at the beginning of food poisoning. Then the doctor can Samples of suspicious foods forward to a laboratory to detect any pathogens or toxins in it. This can be very important for the treatment (such as the exact knowledge of toadstool).

compulsory registration

In Germany, there is a duty to report any bacterial food poisoning. The food suspected to be a cause is being analyzed by food inspection institutes. If the suspicion is confirmed, the contaminated food can be taken out of the market (publication of a food alert) to avoid further cases of food poisoning. Both competent authorities and food chains and individuals can submit suspicious foods for analysis.

Food poisoning: history and prognosis

Most cases of food poisoning are straightforward. If food poisoning is only possible with diarrhea and without fever or blood in the stool, it will usually resolve itself within a few days. In individual cases, the duration and severity of the symptoms depend on exactly what causes the poisoning (bacteria, toxin, etc.), how much of it has entered the body and what is the general state of health of the person affected.

It is dangerous if the fluid and electrolyte loss is not quickly compensated by diarrhea and vomiting. This is especially the case with infants and the elderly. They usually need to be treated in the hospital: Infusions can quickly replace missing fluid and lost salts (electrolytes) in young and old patients.

A life threatening form of Food poisoning is botulism: Left untreated, approximately half of the patients die within three to six days as a result of respiratory paralysis.