Viruses, how they are contracted and their effects | |||||||
Agent |
Natural Source |
Other food or drink vectors | Incubation period | Typical patient | Symptoms and signs | Estimated annual number of cases in US (1994-97) | Estimated annual number of deaths in US |
Salmonella | Chickens, eggs, ducks, turkeys | Many prepared foods notably cooked meats, bean sprouts | 18 hrs - 2 days | Anyone, especially the very young and old | Diarrhea, abdominal pains | 2-4 million | 400 |
Campylobacter spp | Poultry meat, unpasteur- ised milk | Water | 5-7 days | Particularly young healthy adults. Immunity can develop | Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain | 2-4 million | 120-360 |
Listeria monocytogenes | Soil, animal manure, water | Chilled and processed foods, soft crusted cheeses, cooked chicken, pate, salamis, recipe (cook-chilli) meals, also salads | 5 days - 5 weeks | Pregnant women, elderly, immuno- compromised, also some young healthy adults | Flu-like illness in pregnancy, stillbirth, septicemia. Few gut symptoms | 1600 | 415 |
E. coli | Cattle | Burgers, sausages | ? days | Children | Enteritis, kidney failure | 25,000 | 100 |
Bacillus cereus | Widely in environment | Take-out fried rice | 6 - 18 hrs | Anyone | Diarrhea, abdominal pain | 3000 | 1 |
Clostridium botulinum | Soil, vegetables, fish | Defective
canned items of vegetables or fish, processed meat and vegetables |
12 - 18 hrs | Anyone | Progressive paralysis of motor nerves | 30-50 | 2 |
Clostridium perfringens | Intestines of mammals, including man | Stews, minces, anaerobic food | 12 - 24 hrs | Anyone | Diarrhea, abdominal pain | 10,000 | 1 |
Staphylococcus aureus | Noses, groins, intestines of mammals including man, birds | Cream cooked meats, custards, moist processed foods | 1 - 3 hrs | Anyone | Vomiting, sometimes severe, with blood | 10,000 | 2 |