Introduction to food poisoning and foodborne infection.
To introduce food as a vehicle for foodborne disease.
• Following this lecture, you should be able to:
• Recognise the significance of food poisoning (FP) and foodborne disease
(FBD).
• Identify the variety of agents causing FP & FBD.
• Understand the incidence of the major causative agents of FBD
• Explain the reporting & notification system of FBD.
• Recognise the factors contributing to FBD.
• Define the legislative framework underpinning food safety in the UK.
What is food poisoning
Public Health England definition:
“An illness caused by the consumption of food or water contaminated with bacteria
and/or their toxins, or with parasites, viruses, or chemicals.”
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food definition:
“Any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused or thought to be caused by the
consumption of food or water.”
Food Poisoning vs Foodborne Disease
Causative agent, Onset and duration of symptoms, clinical presentation and symptoms
• Food poisoning does not include allergies and food intolerances
We wont ever be able to definitively determine what the food or water source is that
someone has consumed to cause the disease.
This is because this is really difficult to determine.
Food poisoning- umbrella term- food poisoning covers anything from if you consume
something that has bacteria in it that then causes a disease, or you consume a food source
that has bacteria grown in it and it produces a toxin. These both would be classified as food
poisoning.
Foodborne disease- this is specifically where the food is the vehicle of transmission, the
bacteria enters your GI tract, it establishes an infection and causes a disease.
The difference is that we are talking about a disease specifically that the bacteria is able to
colonise you as a host.
When talking about food poisoning and food borne diseases, some of the things that are not
included are allergens and food intolerances. These are dietary requirements and not food
poisoning.
There are some subtle differences between food poisoning and food borne disease, and this
is to do with the causative agent. There are potentially different agents that can cause that,
whether that is bacteria or their toxins or other chemicals.
The inset and duration of symptoms can help us decide whether it is food poisoning or a
food borne disease.
And the clinical presentation and symptoms.
, What can cause food poisoning/foodborne diseases
• Bacteria – E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter,
• Fungi - Aflatoxins
• Viruses – Norovirus
• Parasites –Tapeworms
• Protozoa - Giardia lamblia
• Pre-formed toxins – Botulinum toxin, Staphylococcal enterotoxins
• Toxic chemicals - Mercury poisoning associated with seafood.
Pre-formed toxins – this can be where someone has prepared some food and there is
contamination of bacteria within the food. And if it has not been stored correctly, the
bacteria can grow in the food, using it as an environment where it can grow and produce a
toxin. Eg. Botulinum toxin and staphylococcal enterotoxins. People can prepare food to far
in advance, if it is left out toxins may be produced. We can also get heat stable toxins, so
you can heat up the food later, but heat stable toxins are not eradicated by that heat so this
can make you unwell. This is where its not the actual bacteria that is causing an active
infection in you, it is the toxins that they have already produced. Toxic chemicals- fish, there
can be a build up of heavy metals in their tissues. Can cause potential food poisoining.
Reporting & Notification
UK Health Security Agency: Notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) and reportable
causative organisms
Diseases notifiable to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection
(Notification) Regulations 2010:
Reporting the organisms that cause the disease.
Food poisoining would be reported to the local authority. If you go to your GP
Diseases notifiable to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection
(Notification) Regulations 2010:
• Registered medical practitioners (RMPs) have a statutory duty to notify the ‘proper
officer’ at their local council or local health protection team (HPT) of suspected
cases.
• All laboratories in England performing a primary diagnostic role must notify UKHSA
on the confirmation of a notifiable organism.
• Examples include: Campylobacter spp, Clostridium perfringens,
Cryptosporidium spp, Giardia lamblia, Listeria monocytogenes,
Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Vibrio cholerae
• Local authority investigation: Environmental Health Officer
• Food history
• Gastrointestinal disease questionnaire
Collection of relevant samples:
– Food
– Water
– Environment
To introduce food as a vehicle for foodborne disease.
• Following this lecture, you should be able to:
• Recognise the significance of food poisoning (FP) and foodborne disease
(FBD).
• Identify the variety of agents causing FP & FBD.
• Understand the incidence of the major causative agents of FBD
• Explain the reporting & notification system of FBD.
• Recognise the factors contributing to FBD.
• Define the legislative framework underpinning food safety in the UK.
What is food poisoning
Public Health England definition:
“An illness caused by the consumption of food or water contaminated with bacteria
and/or their toxins, or with parasites, viruses, or chemicals.”
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food definition:
“Any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused or thought to be caused by the
consumption of food or water.”
Food Poisoning vs Foodborne Disease
Causative agent, Onset and duration of symptoms, clinical presentation and symptoms
• Food poisoning does not include allergies and food intolerances
We wont ever be able to definitively determine what the food or water source is that
someone has consumed to cause the disease.
This is because this is really difficult to determine.
Food poisoning- umbrella term- food poisoning covers anything from if you consume
something that has bacteria in it that then causes a disease, or you consume a food source
that has bacteria grown in it and it produces a toxin. These both would be classified as food
poisoning.
Foodborne disease- this is specifically where the food is the vehicle of transmission, the
bacteria enters your GI tract, it establishes an infection and causes a disease.
The difference is that we are talking about a disease specifically that the bacteria is able to
colonise you as a host.
When talking about food poisoning and food borne diseases, some of the things that are not
included are allergens and food intolerances. These are dietary requirements and not food
poisoning.
There are some subtle differences between food poisoning and food borne disease, and this
is to do with the causative agent. There are potentially different agents that can cause that,
whether that is bacteria or their toxins or other chemicals.
The inset and duration of symptoms can help us decide whether it is food poisoning or a
food borne disease.
And the clinical presentation and symptoms.
, What can cause food poisoning/foodborne diseases
• Bacteria – E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter,
• Fungi - Aflatoxins
• Viruses – Norovirus
• Parasites –Tapeworms
• Protozoa - Giardia lamblia
• Pre-formed toxins – Botulinum toxin, Staphylococcal enterotoxins
• Toxic chemicals - Mercury poisoning associated with seafood.
Pre-formed toxins – this can be where someone has prepared some food and there is
contamination of bacteria within the food. And if it has not been stored correctly, the
bacteria can grow in the food, using it as an environment where it can grow and produce a
toxin. Eg. Botulinum toxin and staphylococcal enterotoxins. People can prepare food to far
in advance, if it is left out toxins may be produced. We can also get heat stable toxins, so
you can heat up the food later, but heat stable toxins are not eradicated by that heat so this
can make you unwell. This is where its not the actual bacteria that is causing an active
infection in you, it is the toxins that they have already produced. Toxic chemicals- fish, there
can be a build up of heavy metals in their tissues. Can cause potential food poisoining.
Reporting & Notification
UK Health Security Agency: Notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) and reportable
causative organisms
Diseases notifiable to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection
(Notification) Regulations 2010:
Reporting the organisms that cause the disease.
Food poisoining would be reported to the local authority. If you go to your GP
Diseases notifiable to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection
(Notification) Regulations 2010:
• Registered medical practitioners (RMPs) have a statutory duty to notify the ‘proper
officer’ at their local council or local health protection team (HPT) of suspected
cases.
• All laboratories in England performing a primary diagnostic role must notify UKHSA
on the confirmation of a notifiable organism.
• Examples include: Campylobacter spp, Clostridium perfringens,
Cryptosporidium spp, Giardia lamblia, Listeria monocytogenes,
Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Vibrio cholerae
• Local authority investigation: Environmental Health Officer
• Food history
• Gastrointestinal disease questionnaire
Collection of relevant samples:
– Food
– Water
– Environment
