Foodborne disease is a public health problem which comprises a broad group of illnesses.
Among them, gastroenteritis is the most frequent clinical syndrome which can be attributed to a wide range of micro-organisms, including bacteria viruses and parasites.
Usually, the incubation period is short, from 1-2 days to 7 days.
Different degrees in severity are observed, for a mild disease which does not require medical treatment at the more serious illness requiring hospitalization, long term disability and /or death.
The outcome of exposure to foodborne diarrheal pathogens depends on a number of host factors including preexisting immunity, the ability to elicit an immune response, nutrition, age, and non specific host factors.
As a result, the incidence the severity and the lethality of foodborne diarrhea is much higher in some particularly vulnerable segments of the population, including children under five years of age, pregnant women, immuno-compromised people and elderly.
In addition to these well known predisposing conditions, new ones are regularly identified (liver disease for paraheamoliticus septicemia, thalassemia for Yersinia enterocolitica infections).
Serious complications may result from these illnesses including intestinal as well as systemic manifestations, like hemolytic uremic syndrome for 10% of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 infections with bloody diarrhea, Guillain-Barre syndrome (nerve degeneration, slow recovery and severe residual disability) after Campylobacter jejuni infection, reactive arthritis after salmonellosis and chronic toxoplasmic encephalitis.
While diarrhea is the most common syndrome following the consumption of a contaminated food some disease are more serious.
Clinical manifestations of listeriosis include bacteriemia and central nervous system infections, especially in patients with an impairment of T-cell mediated immunity and abortion in pregnant women, with an overall case fatality rate of 25%.
Food borne botulism is a result from the potent toxin by Clostridium botulinum that cause a paralysis of skeletal and respiratory muscles which, when severe may result in death in 8% of cases.
Toxoplasma gondii is also the most frequent cause of lesion in the central nervous system in patients with AIDS.
Hepatitis A is an infectious disease for which age is the most important determinant of morbidity and mortality, with severity of illness and its complications increasing with age.
The durations of illness vary but most cases are symptomatic for three weeks.
Complications during the acute illness phase are unusual, with fulminant hepatitis and death being uncommon.
Foodborne Disease Caused by Micro-organisms
