Common Bacteria that Causes Foodborne Illnesses
The most prevalent foodborne pathogens that cause foodborne illness are listed below: (See also: Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know.)
Campylobacter jejuni | |
| FOUND: | intestinal tracts of animals and birds, raw milk, untreated water, and sewage sludge. |
| TRANSMISSION: | contaminated water, raw milk, and raw or under-cooked meat, poultry, or shellfish. |
| SYMPTOMS: | fever, headache and muscle pain followed by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain and nausea that appear 2 to 5 days after eating; may last 7 to 10 days. |
Clostridium botulinum | |
| FOUND: | widely distributed in nature; soil, water, on plants, and intestinal tracts of animals and fish. Grows only in little or no oxygen. |
| TRANSMISSION: | bacteria produce a toxin that causes illness. Improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, vacuum-packed and tightly wrapped food. |
| SYMPTOMS: | Toxin affects the nervous system. Symptoms usually appear 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear as few as 4 hours or as many as 8 days after eating; double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble speaking and swallowing, and difficulty breathing. Fatal in 3 to 10 days if not treated. |
Clostridium perfringens | |
| FOUND: | soil, dust, sewage, and intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Grows only in little or no oxygen. |
| TRANSMISSION: | called "the cafeteria germ" because many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature. Bacteria destroyed by cooking, but some toxin-producing spores may survive. |
| SYMPTOMS: | diarrhea and gas pains may appear 8 to 24 hours after eating; usually last about 1 day, but less severe symptoms may persist for 1 to 2 weeks. |
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 | |
| FOUND: | intestinal tracts of some mammals, raw milk, unchlorinated water; one of several strains of E. coli than can cause human illness. |
| TRANSMISSION: | contaminated water, raw milk, raw or rare ground beef, unpasteurized apple juice or cider, uncooked fruits and vegetables; person-to-person. |
| SYMPTOMS: | diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and malaise; can begin 2 to 5 days after food is eaten, lasting about 8 days. Some, especially the very young, have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) that causes acute kidney failure. A similar illness, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), may occur in older adults. |
Listeria monocytogenes | |
| FOUND: | intestinal tracts of humans and animals, milk, soil, leaf vegetables, and processed foods; can grow slowly at refrigerator temperatures. |
| TRANSMISSION: | soft cheese, raw milk, improperly processed ice cream, raw leafy vegetables, meat, and poultry. Illness caused by bacteria which do not produce toxin. |
| SYMPTOMS: | fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes abdominal pain and diarrhea; 12 hours to 3 weeks; may later develop more serious illness in at-risk patients (meningitis or spontaneous abortion in pregnant women); sometimes just fatigue. |
Salmonella (over 2300 types) | |
| FOUND: | intestinal tract and feces of animals; Salmonella enteritidis in raw shell eggs. |
| TRANSMISSION: | raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat; raw milk and dairy products; seafood and food handlers. |
| SYMPTOMS: | stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever, and headache usually appear 8 to 72 hours after eating; may last 1 to 2 days. |
Shigella (over 30 types) | |
| FOUND: | human intestinal tract; rarely found in other animals. |
| TRANSMISSION: | person-to-person by fecal-oral route; fecal contamination of food and water. Most outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers using poor personal hygiene. |
| SYMPTOMS: | disease referred to as "shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery. Diarrhea containing blood and mucus, fever, abdominal cramps, chills, and vomiting; 12 to 50 hours from ingestion of bacteria; can last a few days to 2 weeks. |
Staphylococcus aureus | |
| FOUND: | on humans (skin, infected cuts, pimples, noses, and throats). |
| TRANSMISSION: | people to food through improper food handling. Multiply rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness. |
| SYMPTOMS: | severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 1 to 6 hours after eating; recovery within 2 to 3 days - longer if severe dehydration occurs. |
See also: Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know.
Source: Excerpted from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know. September 2001*
