An infection that is carried into the body by eating food or drinking fluid is often referred to as food poisoning. This type of infection is usually the result of poor food hygiene and /or food preparation. Small micro-organisms called bacteria are often the cause of food poisoning and can either cause it by stating to grow and multiply in the intestines off the person who ate the food or can produce a toxin in the food which then causes the illness when it is consumed with the food. The bacteria most commonly found to be the cause of food poisoning are Salmonella, campylobacter, Shigella and E.coli. Staphylococcus aureus is an example of a bacteria that produced a toxin in the food but does not tend to grow in the intestines itself. Food poisoning can be very severe and can cause life threatening illness especially in the elderly and very young. It is a notifiable disease which means the doctor will report it to the department of health so that checks can be made especially if it was caught from food served in the restaurant.
Sometimes food poisoning results from a virus, this is much more difficult to identify. A virus might also contaminate the water supply and this can lead to a major outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting. This can be a particular problem on a cruise ship if the main water supply becomes contaminated, thankfully this is a rare event.
Sometimes food poisoning results from a virus, this is much more difficult to identify. A virus might also contaminate the water supply and this can lead to a major outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting. This can be a particular problem on a cruise ship if the main water supply becomes contaminated, thankfully this is a rare event.