Food-borne infection refers to an illness caused by pathogenic organisms carried by the food and transmitted to man.
A sickness that is a result of eating food contaminated by pathogens. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, cramps, bloody diarrhea, fever, chills, weakness, and headache. Pathogens can occur in a broad cross-section of food. For instance, bacteria such as E. COLI do not appear just in meat; the bacteria have also been found in apple juice, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, and potato salad. Food-borne infection is often caused by the mishandling of food, such as chopping vegetables on the same board on which raw meat was cut without first thoroughly washing the board. However, it can also be due to processing.
Foodborne illnesses result from consuming food contaminated with viruses, bacteria, parasites, or other microorganisms.
Food can be contaminated through two primary methods. Initially, numerous animals bred or hunted for food can carry disease-causing organisms in their tissues or organs. When the meat or milk from these animals is consumed without adequate cooking or pasteurization, it can cause illnesses in humans. In the United Kingdom, the most common infection resulting from this is food poisoning. The second mode of contamination occurs when food comes into contact with organisms transferred from an infected individual or animal. This transfer commonly happens through flies moving from feces to food.
Vaccinations are obtainable for some infections transmitted through food and water, such as typhoid fever.