Food Biochemistry and Food Processing

693

Table 30.1.

Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens, Symptoms of Disease, Target Populations and Potential Sources of Food

Contamination

Target

Organism

Symptoms

Onset

Duration

Population

Source

Suspect Foods

Bacillus cereus

Two forms:

Diarrheal:

Diarrheal:

Everyone

Soil, Dust

Diarrheal: meat,

(B. cereus)

1. Diarrheal illness

6–15 hours

12–24 hours

milk, vegetables,

including Emetic:

30 Emetic:

fish,

soups

abdominal cramps,

minutes to

6–24 hours

Emetic: rice

nausea (vomiting

5 hours

products,

rare)

potatoes,

2. Emetic illness

pasta, cheese

including nausea

products

and vomiting

Campylobacter

Diarrhea (may

2–5 days

2–10 days

Children under

Cattle,

Raw chicken,

jejuni

contain blood),

five, young

chicken,

turkey, raw milk,

fever, nausea,

adults 15–29

birds, flies,

beef, shellfish,

vomiting, stream,

pond

water

abdominal w

ater

pain, headache,muscle pain

Clostridium

Fatigue, weakness,

18–36 hours,

Months

Everyone

Soil,

Canned foods,

botulinum

double vision,

varies 4

sediment,

smoked and

respiratory

hours to

intestinal

salted fish,

failure

8 days

tracts of fish

chopped bottled

and mammals

garlic, sautéed onions, honey

Clostridium

Diarrhea, cramps,

6–22 hours

Under 24

Ev

eryone, but

Soil, feces

Meats, meat

perfringens

nausea (vomiting

hours, may

young and

products,

rare)

persist 1–2

elderly are

poultry,

weeks

most affected

gravy

Escherichia coli

Watery diarrhea,

1–3 days

Days

Everyone

Water, Human

Dairy products

(Traveller’s abdominal cramps,

sewage

diarrhea)

low-grade fever, nausea, malaise

(Continues)