Food Borne Illness

Brief Description of Food Borne Illness

Food borne illness takes place because of consuming food or drinking beverages that have bacteria, parasites or viruses. A harmful chemical also leads to borne illness when the foods are affected by unwanted substance. The diseases of the stomach might lead to symptoms that have a range from low level to high level. These diseases usually include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dehydration. There are many cases of food borne infections which are not diagnosed in a proper manner (Guerrant, 30).

Overview of E. Coli

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a type of bacteria usually seen in the digestive system of human beings and animals. There are many diseases, like E. enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) which leads to a high level of food borne illness. The occurrence of this in the humans usually occurs because of eating contaminated foods, which includes meat, fruits and vegetables. The importance of this disease in the minds of people was acknowledged in 1982, because of its spread that took place in USA. EHEC produces toxins known as verotoxins or Shiga toxins (Shiga-like) because they are quite similar to Shigella dysenteriae. EHEC normally grows at a temperature that has a range of 7 ° C and 50 ° C, the most favorable temperature is 37 ° C. Some of the contents of the bacteria usually flow in an acidic substance carrying a pH value of 4.4 and in those categories where water activity is around 0.95. The cooking destroys the content of the bacteria when the food is cooked for more than 70° C.

Symptoms of E. Coli

The notice of the symptoms of EHEC infection occurs in the form of abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which leads to a diarrhea for many people. These people might even have high fever ...