Food poisoning

Food poisoning is an illness that results from consumption of food that has been improperly prepared or stored, allowing pathogenic bacteria to grow in the food. It is usually distinguished from diseases such as hepatitis, in which food is a vector for transmission of disease between humans.

Symptoms begin several hours after ingestion and include nausea and diarrhea. Most cases of food poisoning spontaneously resolve themselves, but food poisoning can result in death, especially in infants, the elderly, and other people who have weak immune systems. Food poisoning that results from a restaurant or other commercial eating place is especially of concern, as it can affect large numbers of people. Improperly stored food served at picnics can also poison large numbers of people: the majority of these poisonings come from umproperly stored meat. Potato salad and macaroni salad can also be risky if made from homemade mayonnaise containing raw eggs (factory produced mayonnaise is safe).

Common forms of food poisoning include botulism, which is caused by an anaerobic organism that can grow in improperly sealed or dented cans; salmonella; and E. coli infection.