Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness is a worldwide concern, but preventive measures will reduce its occurrence.

Foodborne illness is a worldwide concern and occurs in rich and poor countries. Everyone is at risk for the acquisition of these diseases. Many refer to it as food poisoning, and it results from infectious agents or other toxic materials that enter the human body after a person consumes food. This includes toxins which occur naturally such as mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, and cyanogenic glycosides (World Health Organization, 2016).

In the United States, approximately 48 million people acquire one of these illnesses each year. There are new microorganisms and toxins which add to this public health problem. Moreover, there have been changes in the environment as well as the process of food production and supply. Antibiotic resistance also contributes to its occurrence.

Cases of foodborne illness have arisen from bagged spinach, prepackaged raw cookie dough, and peanut butter.

Salmonellosis

The most deadly microorganism responsible for foodborne illness is Salmonella. It is a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacillus of the Enterobacteriaceae family. More than 100 years ago, an American scientist, Salmon, discovered this microbe. Salmonella is a common cause of the condition in the United States where the rates of its occurrence have remained steady over the last decade and a half. Approximately 1.4 million cases of it occur each year in the United States.

Transmission

Transmission of Salmonella infection is via food, water, or animals which carry the infection. Reptiles such as snakes, lizards, and turtles are especially likely to carry the microorganism, and household members should wash their hands with soap and water after they handle these pets. Infants and people with immune system compromise should avoid reptiles because they are particularly susceptible to the infection.

Infants and small children less than five years of age have not yet fully developed their immune systems and are therefore at risk for infectious diseases of many types. And elderly people are prone to the acquisition of foodborne illness. If any of these groups acquire foodborne illness such as Salmonella, they are more likely to develop a severe case of the disease than individuals with normal immune systems.

 No vaccine is available to prevent salmonellosis.