Foodborne illnesses

Contamination of foods or beverages with disease-causing organisms—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites—can result in symptoms ranging from mild stomach upset, headache, muscle aches, and fever to abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases can result in dangerous dehydration, nerve damage, paralysis, kidney failure, and death. Symptoms may develop within hours or days after eating contaminated food, and they are not always easy to distinguish from influenza or other illnesses. Drinking clear liquids (such as chicken broth, juices, and water) helps replace fluids and electrolytes lost during a mild infection, but immediate medical attention is required when symptoms are severe. Most susceptible are infants and young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic diseases. Particularly risky foods include raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and unpasteurized (raw) milk products and juices.

Some common foodborne illnesses are listed in the table.

Most cases of foodborne illness are caused by bacteria and the toxins they produce. Campylobacter jejuni, found in raw or undercooked foods of animal origin, especially poultry, is responsible for more diarrheal illness throughout the world than any other bacterium. Travelers’ diarrhea is often caused by specific types of Escherichia coli bacteria, while other E. coli types cause much of the diarrhea in infants, particularly during weaning, in developing countries. Other common foodborne infections are caused by various strains of Salmonella bacteria and the Norwalk family of viruses.

Smoking, drying, fermenting, and the adding of sugar or salt are traditional methods used to preserve food and keep it safe. During the 20th century public health advances such as disinfection of water supplies, pasteurization of milk, safe canning, widespread use of refrigeration, and improved food-safety practices eliminated typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and cholera, for example, as common foodborne diseases. However, others have taken their place. New causes of foodborne illness continue to be discovered or described. A recently characterized microscopic parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, was the cause of outbreaks of diarrheal illness in the United States and Canada starting in 1996. Guatemalan raspberries, contaminated with Cyclospora via the water supply, were the suspected source of infection. Another recently described parasite, Cryptosporidium parvum, contaminates water supplies and foods and is an important cause of diarrhea throughout the world, particularly in children and in persons with HIV.

In 1993, undercooked hamburgers emerged in the United States as a potential source of E. coli O157:H7, a deadly strain of a normally harmless bacterium found in the human digestive tract. Subsequently, this microbe has also been found in unpasteurized fruit juice, such as fresh-pressed apple cider, and other foods possibly contaminated with animal feces. The bacterium produces a potent toxin that may result in bloody diarrhea; hemolytic uremic syndrome, a possible complication, is a major cause of acute kidney failure in children. E. coli O157:H7 infection, which can be spread by persons who unknowingly incubate the bacterium in their intestines and transmit it through poor toilet hygiene, appears to be on the rise worldwide, particularly in North America and western Europe.

Certain other bacteria also produce a toxin, which then causes a poisoning or intoxication rather than a bacterial infection per se. For example, Clostridium botulinum, found in improperly canned foods, produces the lethal neurotoxin that causes botulism. The toxin responsible for staphylococcal food poisoning is produced by Staphylococcus aureus typically after contamination from nasal passages or cuts on the skin.

Many molds (fungi) on food are harmless and, in fact, are flavour enhancing, such as those used to ripen certain cheeses. However, some molds—particularly those on grains, nuts, fruits, and seeds—produce poisons known as mycotoxins. The mycotoxins of greatest concern are aflatoxins, which can infect nuts, peanuts, corn, and wheat. Prolonged low-level exposure to aflatoxins, as seen in regions of Asia and Africa, is suspected of contributing to liver cancer. Discarding nuts that are discoloured, shriveled, or moldy helps reduce the risk.

Eating raw shellfish, sushi, or undercooked fish puts one at risk for parasites, such as tapeworms, as well as for bacteria and viruses, all of which are killed by proper cooking. The great majority of seafood-related illness is caused by the consumption of raw bivalve mollusks. Clams, mussels, and scallops, which are usually served cooked, are of less public health concern than oysters, which are often eaten raw.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was first seen in British cattle in the 1980s. However, it was not linked to human disease until 1996, when 10 young adults in the United Kingdom died of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain-wasting disease thought to have been transmitted by consumption of meat containing brain or spinal tissue from BSE-infected cattle. It is suspected that the diseased cattle had been infected by eating the ground remains of sheep with the neurodegenerative disease scrapie. BSE appears to be caused by infectious protein particles called prions, which kill brain cells and leave holes in the brain. Details of disease transmission are still unclear, as is the potential risk from cosmetics, dietary supplements, gelatin, or vaccines containing bovine ingredients, or from blood transfusions. Ground beef, sausages, and frankfurters are more likely to be contaminated with nervous-system tissue than are whole cuts of beef. Dairy products are considered safe, even if they come from BSE-infected cows.

Good personal hygiene and food safety practices are important in protecting against foodborne illness. The main source of contamination is fecal matter, which is reduced by frequently washing hands with soap and hot water, especially before preparing food. Thorough washing also decontaminates towels, surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, and other equipment that has touched uncooked meat. Other food safety guidelines include keeping cold foods cold, keeping hot foods hot, and refrigerating leftovers quickly.

Growth of microorganisms, parasites, and insects on certain foods (such as meat, poultry, spices, fruits, and vegetables) can be controlled by low-dose irradiation, which has been approved for specific uses in a number of countries, such as Japan, France, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. Food irradiation technology—which does not make foods radioactive—is considered safe by the World Health Organization and various health agencies, but it has yet to receive wide consumer acceptance.

Botanicals and functional foods

Many herbal products show sufficient promise in preventing or treating disease that they are being tested in rigorous scientific studies, including clinical trials. However, the “botanicals” currently on the market in many countries are untested with regard to safety and efficacy, and consumers should approach their use in an informed and cautious way. Just as with pharmaceuticals, herbal products can have mild to severe side effects, and “natural” does not mean “safe.” Furthermore, the amounts of active ingredients in supplements can vary widely and, according to laboratory analyses, the potency specified on labels is often inaccurate. Some preparations even contain none of the active ingredients listed on the label or may have unwanted contaminants.

Potentially dangerous herbal products include comfrey and kava, which can cause liver damage, and ephedra (ma huang), which has caused fatal reactions in some people, especially those with high blood pressure or heart disease. Because of possible complications, patients scheduled to undergo surgery or other medical procedures may be advised to discontinue certain supplements for days or even weeks before surgery. Safety and efficacy concerns also need to be addressed, as “designer foods” fortified with herbs and bioactive substances continue to proliferate.

The distinction between foods, dietary supplements, and drugs is already being blurred by the burgeoning market in so-called functional foods (such as cholesterol-lowering margarine), which aim to provide health benefits beyond mere nutrient value. Moreover, recent advances in molecular biology offer the possibility of using genetic profiles to determine unique nutrient requirements, thereby providing customized dietary recommendations to more effectively delay or prevent disease.