1. Foodborne illnesses

What kind of foods have the highest chance to have foodborne ilness?

Mainly food of animal origin, such as: meat, poultry, raw milk, eggs, (shell)fish

Intoxication vs Infection

• Intoxication: toxin in the food

• Infection: invasion in gastrointestinal tract (by microbes)

Time range intoxication vs infection

• Intoxication: toxin production in food, ill after 0-6 hours

  • Nausea, vomiting, duration ~1 day

• Infection: Caused by microbes

  • Ill after 8- 24 hours

  • Nausea, diarrhea, stomach ache, duration of a few days

Dose response relation (D/R)

Graph that describes attack rate, how ill someone is, compared to the dose they had.

host susceptibility

Older people have higher pH meaning that microbes can survive more easily in their stomach and can effect them.

Transmission of foodborne diseases

• Dependent on ecology of m.o./reservoir

• Environment

• Spread via faeces

• Direct: host to host (human, farm-/pet animals)

• Indirect: vector*/fomites/water/food

• Kitchen

vector: like a vehicle to transport microbes e.g. cutlery

Example of spreading of disease through animal gut

• Chickens are healthy carriers of Campylobacter in their gut

• These bacteria can be spread via feces into the environment.

Cross contamination

The transfer of microbes from one food to another, specifically from raw to cooked products.

Are foodborne illnesses always reported enough?

No they are underreported, making its true incidence difficult to ascertain.

What are the major contributing factors to foodborne illness?

• Temperature and time mismanagement

  • Inadequate cooling

  • Prolonged storage at ambient temperatures

  • Insufficient heating

• Undercooking and cross contamination

Why are elderly more susceptible to microbes

The pH in their stomach goes down slower than in a young adult. Therefore the pH might not be as low.

What are vectors?

Vectors are organisms that carry and transmit an infectious pathogen to another living organism or food.

What are fomites?

Inanimate materials that can transmit pathogens.