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Food Poisoning Treatment: Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:42:03 +0000

Most of the food poisoning incidents form in kitchen. The main reason is the negligence of cooks while preparing food. In truth, incidents related to food poisoning can easily be averted if some precautions are taken. Below are some tips which must be practiced in kitchen. They are:

Food Poisoning:Image via Wikipedia

1. Always wash kitchen utensils properly after the use. You must thoroughly clean dishes, counters and cutting boards in order to prevent food poisoning. The simple way to disinfect the cutting boards is to use a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach added to 1 liter of water. Spray the solution over the board and wash it thoroughly. Once it is done, you must dry the board completely.

2. In case, there is an undercooked turkey leftovers, remove the stuffings and store them separately. The turkey leftovers must be stored in refrigerator. However, after 3 days of storing the turkey leftovers, you must throw them out.

3. You should always store food items, especially meat in refrigerator. Otherwise, bacteria will grow rapidly over the food at kitchen temperature. Keep a thing in mind that an appearance or a smell cannot be used to gauge food contamination. It is because, in some cases, contaminated food does not change either in appearance or smell.

4. Food items such as raw meat and fish must always be kept away from cooked foods within the refrigerator. The best place to keep raw food is the freezer container in the refrigerator.

5. Avoid consuming food exposed to room temperature for hours. This applies to the foods at buffets too which usually are left for hours uncovered.

6. During the summer, food items can easily be contaminated by bacteria because of boiling temperature. Seaside or pool area is an ideal place for bacteria during this season. Hence, it is always advised to store your food properly in refrigerator.

7. This may sound like weird but it is recommended not to handle cash when you are about to serve food. This rule strongly applies to the food handlers at hotels and restaurants. The bank notes are the primary carriers of bacteria and can easily cause food poisoning.

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Food Poisoning Germs: Bacteria – Vibrio Cholerae

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:23:28 +0000

Food Poisoning Bacterium: Vibrio Cholerae

Vibrio Cholerae: This bacterium is responsible for Asiatic or epidemic cholera. Though anybody may become the target of this bacterium, the people who have damaged or weak immunity, or the people suffering from malnutrition, or reduced gastric acidity are very much prone to this type of food poisoning sickness. This bacterium releases cholera toxin when it enters into small intestine. This toxin causes the cholera disease.

This bacterium thrives where there is a lack of proper sanitation system. Eventually, this will contaminate water supplies and hence, outbreak of this type of food poisoning sickness. Another cause for this food poisoning sickness is the consumption of shellfish which are caught from polluted coastal waters.

The common symptoms of this food poisoning sickness include watery diarrhea, nausea, dehydration, stomach pain, vomiting, and shock, that happens due to the severe fluid and electrolyte loss. The symptoms may show up in between 6 hours – 5 days. In severe condition, an affected individual will experience acute diarrhea and heavy loss of electrolytes. In this type of food poisoning case, that person will die if the proper treatment is not provided immediately.

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Food Poisoning Germs: Bacteria – Clostridium Botulinum

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:13:31 +0000

Food Poisoning Bacterium: Clostridium Botulinum

Clostridium Botulinum: This bacterium is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming rod that releases a deadliest neurotoxin. There are seven types of this bacterium and four of them are capable of causing food poisoning. Though the occurrence rate of this food poisoning type is low, the death rate can be high if proper treatment is not given immediately. This bacterium is found everywhere like soil, water, air, animals etc.

This bacterium can be found in variety of foods which are less acidic. However, any food that supports the growth and toxin production of this bacterium causes the food poisoning sickness. Usually, this bacterium releases the toxin in many types of food like canned corn, mushrooms, beets, chicken, spinach, peppers, ham, lobster, asparagus, chicken livers and liver pate, green beans, sausage, ripe olives, smoked and salted fish, tuna fish, soups, stuffed eggplant, and luncheon meats.

Normally, the symptoms of this food poisoning type occur in between 18 – 36 hours after the consumption of the contaminated food. However, in some cases, they can occur in between 4 hours – 8 days. The symptoms of this food poisoning type at the beginning include weakness, dizziness and lethargy. Then the affected individual experiences blurred vision and difficulty in speaking as well as swallowing. That person may also experience stomach pain, constipation, fatigue of muscles, and difficulty in breathing. The treatment should be provided immediately when the food poisoning occurs caused by this bacterium.

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Food Poisoning Germs: Bacteria – Shigella

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:01:05 +0000

Food Poisoning Bacterium: Shigella

Shigella: This food poisoning sickness is also known as Traveler’s diarrhea. Shigella is a Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore forming rod-shaped bacterium. This food poisoning sickness mainly occurs in humans rather than animals. The water contaminated with human feces is the breeding ground for this bacterium. For infants, the elderly and the individuals having weak immune system or suffering from diseases like AIDS, this food poisoning sickness can be very deadly.

This bacterium can be found in varieties of salad like potato, chicken, tuna, macaroni, and shrimp, raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, and poultry products. The most common causes for this food poisoning type are the contaminated water with human feces and unhygienic conditions during food handling.

The common symptoms of this food poisoning type consist of vomiting, stools with blood or pus or both, stomach pain, tenesmus, fever and diarrhea. Usually the symptoms begin to show up in between 12 – 50 hours after the contaminated food consumed. An individual with severe Shigella illness will experience mucosal ulceration, rectal bleeding, and extreme dehydration. Hence, immediate medical treatment should be provided when this type of food poisoning occurs.

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Food Poisoning Germs: Bacteria – Bacillus Cereus

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:22:45 +0000

Food Poisoning Bacterium: Bacillus Cereus

Bacillus Cereus: These bacteria are gram-positives like Staphylococcus Aureus. Normally, they cause two types of food poisoning sickness. One is diarrheal type and other one is vomiting type. In some cases, food poisoning caused by these bacteria can lead to gangrene, lung swelling, septic meningitis, pyogenic infections and resulting into death.

The contaminated meat, dairy products, vegetables, and seafood can cause diarrheal type of food poisoning. On the other hand, rice products, potato, cheese products and pasta can cause vomiting type of food poisoning. The food items like sauces, puddings, soups, casseroles, pastries, and salads can also act as a platform for this Bacillus Cereus food poisoning.

An individual suffering from diarrheal type of food poisoning experiences the symptoms like watery diarrhea, stomach pain and nausea which last for 24 hours. Normally, the symptoms begin to show up in between 6 – 15 hours after the contaminated food eaten.

In case of vomiting type of food poisoning, an individual may experience nausea and vomiting which occur within 1 – 6 hours once the contaminated food is eaten. In some cases, that person may even experience stomach pain and diarrhea too. Normally, the symptoms do not last for more than 24 hours. Although in this food poisoning case, the treatment should be given immediately.