Question

<Question #8>

Have you ever had foodborne illness? What do you think caused it?

Of the foodborne pathogens what is the most common and why?

What are the most contributing factors causing foodborne illness?

Answer 1

HI Answer:

The food born illness is generally caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There is a long list of food born illness. Every food born illness is caused by different pathogens most of the illness are infections and mostly caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. The most common food born illness symptoms are: diarrhea or vomiting including abdominal cramps, fever, fatigue etc.

The common known food born illness are caused due to following pathogens: Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter), Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium),Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection (E. coli O157), and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), Giardiasis (Giardia), Listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes), Norovirus Infection (aka Norwalk virus, calicivirus, viral gastroenteritis), Salmonellosis (Salmonella)

The food born illness associated with following food items i.e taking raw or under cooked meat, raw eggs, raw sprouts, unpasteurized milk and fruit juices and the food items which are touched by the infected person.

The most contributing factors causing food borne illness are:

1. Holding food items at wrong temperature, this practice enhance the chances of food contamination and the growth of different pathogens took place easily which further causes illness.
2. Using unhygienic utensils and equipments also contributes in the spreading of food born illness.
3. Under cooked foods also cause food born illness because in under cooked food items the specially meat items the pathogens are not killed and when they are consumed by human they cause infection.
4. Lack of personnel hygiene.
5. Food purchasing negligence also causes food born illness.