E-coli.  Salmonellosis,  Shellfish,  Listeriosis,  Influenza,  Pneumonia, Pneumonia/Chest X-rays,  Common Cold!  Food Poisoning. 
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E-coli

what is it:

Escherichia coli O157:H7 or E. coli for short, is a growing cause of food borne illness.  Each year, 10,000 to 20,000 new cases of E. coli infection occur in the United States.

symptoms:

E. coli often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, although nonbloody diarrhea or no symptoms can be present. Kidney failure can also occur.

associated foods:

Most E. coli illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef.  Infection can also occur after drinking raw milk and after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water.

prevention:

•  Cook all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly. Because ground beef can turn brown before disease-causing bacteria are killed, use a digital instant-read meat thermometer to ensure thorough cooking. Ground beef should be cooked until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads at least 160¼ F.

•  If you are served an undercooked hamburger or other ground beef product in a restaurant, send it back for further cooking. You may want to ask for a new bun and a clean plate, too.

•  Avoid spreading harmful bacteria in your kitchen. Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods. Wash hands, counters, and utensils with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat. Never place cooked hamburgers or ground beef on the unwashed plate that held raw patties. Wash meat thermometers in between tests of patties that require further cooking.

•  Drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. Commercial juice with an extended shelf-life that is sold at room temperature (e.g. juice in cardboard boxes, vacuum sealed juice in glass containers) has been pasteurized, although this is generally not indicated on the label. Juice concentrates are also heated sufficiently to kill pathogens.

•  Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially those that will not be cooked.

•  Drink municipal water that has been treated with chlorine or other effective disinfectants.

•  Avoid swallowing lake or pool water while swimming.

•  Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements to reduce the risk of spreading infection, and that persons wash hands after changing soiled diapers. Anyone with a diarrhea illness should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths with others, and preparing food for others.

treatment:

Most persons recover without antibiotics or other specific treatment in 5-10 days. There is no evidence that antibiotics improve the course of disease, and it is thought that treatment with some antibiotics may precipitate kidney complications. Antidiarrheal agents, such as loperamide (Imodium), should also be avoided.

In some persons, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2%-7% of infections lead to this complication. This life-threatening condition is usually treated in an intensive care unit. Blood transfusions and kidney dialysis are often required. With intensive care, the death rate for hemolytic uremic syndrome is 3%-5%.

people at risk:

 Anyone, but especially children under 5 years of age, immunocompromised persons, and the elderly

Salmonellosis:

what it is:

Salmonellosis is an infection with a bacteria called Salmonella.

The Salmonella germ is actually a group of bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness in humans.  They are microscopic living creatures that pass from the feces of people or animals, to other people or other animals.

There are many different kinds of Salmonella bacteria:

Salmonella serotype Typhimurium and Salmonella serotype Enteritidis are the most common in the United States.  Salmonella has been known to cause illness for over 100 years.  They were discovered by a American scientist named Salmon, for whom they are named.

symptoms:

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection.  The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.  However, in some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.  In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

associated foods:

Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds.  Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. 

Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal.  Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but all foods, including vegetables, may become contaminated.  Many raw foods of animal origin are frequently contaminated, but fortunately, thorough cooking kills Salmonella.  Food may also become contaminated by the unwashed hands of an infected food handler, who forgot to wash his or her hands with soap after using the bathroom.

prevention:

•  Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw unpasteurized milk.

•  If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don't hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.

•  Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.

• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.

•  Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles or birds, or after contact with pet feces.

•  Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.

•  Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.

•  Mother's milk is the safest food for young infants.  Breast-feeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

treatment:

Salmonella infections usually resolve in 5-7 days and often do not require treatment unless the patient becomes severely dehydrated or the infection spreads from the intestines.  Persons with severe diarrhea may require rehydration, often with intravenous fluids.  Antibiotics are not usually necessary unless the infection spreads from the intestines, then it can be treated with ampicillin, gentamicin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin.  

Unfortunately, some Salmonella bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, largely as a result of the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of feed animals.

people at risk:

Salmonellosis is more common in the summer than winter.  Children are the most likely to get salmonellosis.  Young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are the most likely to have severe infections.  It is estimated that approximately 1,000 persons die each year from acute salmonellosis. 

Shellfish:

what it is:

Eating shellfish has been related to a number of diseases, including those caused by bacteria, viruses including hepatitis A and Norwalk agent, and those caused by toxins.

symptoms:

Persons who eat raw or undercooked shellfish harvested from sewage contaminated waters may get diarrhea.  If the bad shellfish contains a neurotoxin called saxitoxin and it is eaten in high doses, it can lead to diaphragmatic paralysis, respiratory failure and death.

 

associated foods:

Any edible, aquatic invertebrate with a shell such as clams, mussels, scallops and oysters

prevention:

•  Shellfish foodborne infections caused by bacteria and viruses can be prevented by cooking seafood's thoroughly, storing them properly, and protecting them from contamination after cooking. Traditional methods of cooking seafood's, such as steaming clams only until they open, may be insufficient to kill all bacteria and viruses in them.

•  Shellfish infections caused by toxins are different.  Shellfish containing toxins may look and taste normal, and usual cooking methods do not affect the toxin.  Some of the toxins or poisons that contaminate the shellfish are paralytic shellfish poison, neurologic shellfish poison, diarrheic shellfish poison, and amnesic shellfish poison.

•   Consumers should be aware of the potential risk to their health, particularly if they eat shellfish from unapproved harvest beds.  For normal persons who eat raw shellfish from approved harvest beds, the risk is likely to be small, although there is no way to totally eliminate all risk.

treatment:

There are no laboratory tests to detect toxins within an individual. There are no anti-toxins or antidotes available for treatment of shellfish poisoning, and no other chemotherapy has proven effective. Therefore, treatment is supportive care of infected person. Ingestion of alcohol increases absorption of the toxin.  Evacuation of stomach contents may help by removing remaining toxin-containing shellfish.

people at risk:

Persons with underlying disease such as liver disease, diabetes, or disorders of their immune system, are at much higher risk than normal persons for acquiring severe or even fatal illnesses from eating raw shellfish.

Listeriosis:

what it is:

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and has recently been recognized as an important public health problem in the United States. 

symptoms:

A person with listeriosis usually has fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infection during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.

associated foods:

•  Listeria monocytogenes is found in soil and water, so vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer. 

• Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin such as meats and dairy products.

•  The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, as well as in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts at the deli counter.

•  Unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk may contain the bacterium.

•  Listeria is killed by pasteurization, and heating procedures used to prepare ready-to-eat processed meats should be sufficient to kill the bacterium; however, unless good manufacturing practices are followed, contamination can occur after processing.

prevention:

•  General recommendations:

•  Cook thoroughly raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry.

•  Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before eating.

•  Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods.

•  Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods made from raw milk.

•  Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after handling uncooked foods.

•  Recommendations for persons at high risk, such as pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems, in addition to the recommendations listed above:

•   Avoid soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheese. (Hard cheesed, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt need not be avoided.)

•   Cook until steaming hot left-over foods or ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs, before eating.

Although the risk of listeriosis associated with foods from deli counters is relatively low, pregnant women and  immunosupressed persons may choose to avoid these foods or thoroughly reheat cold cuts before eating.

treatment:

Even with prompt treatment, some infections result in death. This is particularly likely in the elderly and in persons with other serious medical problems. When infection occurs during pregnancy, antibiotics given promptly to the pregnant woman can often prevent infection of the fetus or newborn.  Babies with listeriosis receive the same antibiotics as adults, although a combination of antibiotics is often used until physicians are certain of the diagnosis.

people at risk:

•  Pregnant women - They are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis.

•  Newborns - Newborns rather than the pregnant women themselves suffer the serious effects of infection in pregnancy. 

• Persons with weakened immune systems 

• Persons with cancer, diabetes, or kidney disease

•  Persons with AIDS - They are almost 300 times more likely to get listeriosis than people with normal immune systems.

•  Persons who take glucocorticosteroid medications

•  The elderly

Food Poisoning

Influenza:

 

Influenza:  an acute viral infection of the respiratory tract, occurring in isolated cases, epidemics, and pandemics, with inflammation of the nasal mucosa, pharynx, and conjunctiva, headache, and severe, often generalized, myalgia.

Symptoms:

• Cough - initially nonproductive, - later, producing purulent sputum
• Marked  cyanosis
• Dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
• High fever
• Chills
• Substernal pain and discomfort
• Frontal headache
• Myalgia

Treatment:

• Antipyretics - for fever
• For influenza A - amantadine
• Endotracheal intubation and ventilator assistance

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