Food Poisoning

Question: Food Poisoning? I was wondering what types of food you can mix or what types of food you can eat to get food poisoning? Because I'm not to sure what certain foods can give you food poisoning, Thank-you.

Answer: raw meat.. chicken especially.. raw eggs. rice if its left out for too long to cool down.

Question: Food poisoning? Im abit worried that I left sausages in the fridge for to long and I cooked them last night but I am abit worried I dont want my partner and I to get food poisoning. I feel fine though what you think? How long till I would start vomiting and everything

Answer: If you ate them last night and have not vomited yet you are probably ok.

Question: FOOD POISONING!?!?!?!? Has nayone ever ate crab legs thawed at ROOM TEMP and NOT gotten food poisoning?? Is it safe to eat them thawed this way??

Answer: hi check it out

Question: is food poisoning less severe if you have a healthy immune system? If you have a very healthy immune system, will the symptoms of food poisoning be minor? I realize that some food borne pathogens can be really dangerous and can make you very ill no matter how healthy you are, but for the most common ones, will food poisoning be nothing more than a bad stomach and diarrhea if you are very healthy? (I am emetophobic.) Also, do you HAVE to throw up if you have food poisoning. If you try to keep it down with ginger, antiemetics etc. , is that dangerous?

Answer: Far less severe if you have a good immune system. People with weak immune systems [including the elderly and very young] are frequently cautioned not to eat foods that are perfectly safe for most people, like runny egg yolks and meat that is at all pink. But once you've eaten something that disagrees with you, let your body get rid of it quickly. Resisting the urge to vomit keeps the poison inside, and you really don't want that.

Question: How long does food poisoning take to have an effect? I ate a burger and fries at a good burger place and about half an hour later I was running to the bathroom. I did not throw up, just diarrhea. How could that happen so fast? Isn't there like a mile of intestines that food has to travel through? Is that even considered food poisoning or just a reaction to grease or bacteria? Real food poisoning takes as much as 24 hours and makes you sick for at least a day right? Real answers only please.

Answer: Food poisoning is caused by bacterial contamination of food and usually related to toxins these bad bacteria produce. Symptoms often arise within 12-24 hours of ingestion of contaminated food but can be sooner (within hours if the toxin is present in large enough concentration) or be delayed for over a day. However, if you rarely eat greasy foods, you can get diarrhea fairly quickly. You should be fine in about a day-make sure you drink plenty of fluids so you don't get dehydrated.

Question: How does the body react to food poisoning? I need to write an essay for science about food poisoning. The bacteria that caused the food poisoning is Salmonella. Can you like give me some information about how the bodies white blood cells do to kill the bacteria or how they react. And it would be great if you gave me some links too. Please I really need help. It's due on Monday so I need to finish quick.

Answer: A good link is http://www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/article.htm this gives a lot of information.

Question: What are some symptoms of intentional food poisoning? My wife and i suspect someone of poisoning her mothers food. she has a life insurance policy and her sister is the beneficiary, well she has diabetis and her kidneys are failing. And she has been getting bloody stools (sorry for the mental picture) . But i was wanting to know if there are any signs of food poisoning that we should look for?

Answer: Do NOT get a blood test. To detect a case of food poisoning, you should do a STOOL culture. As far as food poisonings are concerned, bloody stools are common with Campylobacter, Shigella and E. coli O157:H7 infection. These three bacteria are easy to detect with a STOOL CULTURE. Also, please note if there are any fevers, vomiting and nausea. In general, you should see a doctor if your stools are bloody. It could signal infection, hemmorhoids or colon problems (including cancer!). But lord knows, renal failure and diabetes can cause similar problems as well.

Question: How long does it take before food poisoning symptoms show up? My friend has just eaten some frozen food that was apparently defrosted by mistake and left in the freezer overnight and then turned back on, so the food was then re-frozen. She's just eaten it and is panicking in case she gets food poisoning. How long before symptoms should show up? What can she do if she starts vomiting, etc?

Answer: food poisoning symptoms can take up to 24 hours to show up. It'll start with feeling nausea, vomiting and get worse from there; possible fevers, chills etc. She can treat it according to these directions, but see a doctor if it lasts longer than a day. Avoid solid food but drink plenty of fluids. Avoid alcoholic, caffeinated, or sugary drinks, if possible. Over–the–counter rehydration products made for children such as Pedialyte and Rehydralyte are expensive but good to use if available. (They make these in popsicle form too, and that helps with the flu symptoms so would be good for food poisoning too). Gatorade and Powerade are fine for adults but dilute with water because too much sugar, which can worsen diarrhea. After successfully tolerating fluids, go back to eating slowly. Start with plain foods that are easy on the stomach: rice, wheat, breads, potatoes, cereals (low–sugar cereals), lean meats, and chicken (not fried) to start. Milk can be given safely, although some people may experience additional stomach upset due to lactose intolerance. Anti-diarrheal medicines can be taken too, by following directions on the package.

Question: Can cats get food poisoning from canned food if you leave it out too long? Once you open the can and put the wet food out at room temperature, what is the limit to how long you can safely leave it out? I know cats are more resistant to food poisoning that humans, but I don't want to take chances with my kitty!

Answer: Always, without exception, refrigerate the open cans right away! Better safe than sorry!!

Question: How long before food poisoning symptoms show up? My friend has just eaten some frozen food that was apparently defrosted by mistake and left in the freezer overnight and then turned back on, so the food was then re-frozen. She's just eaten it and is panicking in case she gets food poisoning. How long before symptoms should show up? What can she do if she starts vomiting, etc?

Answer: By now your friend would probably have forgotten all about her re-frozen pizza, but here's some info for you anyway Onset of food poisoning symptoms can be anywhere from 1-2 hours to a day or so. This is because the symptoms could be produced by the toxins made by bacteria, or by the bacteria themselves. Toxin-mediated food poisoning is generally much faster and more dramatic. Rehydration is the key; if she can't keep stuff down at all, has severe abdo pain or if there's blood etc, she should head straight to the hospital. By the way, frozen food is generally OK to be refrozen ONCE if it's been kept at refrigerated temperatures (i.e. if the temperature does not reach a level at which bacteria can multiply). So if the freezer was incompletely defrosted and the compartment was kept closed, she would probably be OK! (I hope so!)

Question: How dangerous is food poisoning in pregnancy? My fiancee is 21 weeks pregnant and has food poisoning. She went to dinner at her friends house and her friend acidentally gave herself and her guests food poisoning. I rang the doctor and he said just to let her rest and get her to drink fluids ever so often and try her on crackers at about 8 tonight. She hasn't managed to keep anything down, not even water but the amount she brings up has reduced a lot since this morning. Is food poisoning dangerous to the baby?

Answer: I had food poisoning during my first pregnancy at 27 weeks. The doctor explained to me that the placenta will keep any of the bacteria/contaminated food from the baby, and that the baby would just physically feel uncomfortable (like mom) from all of the activity. She explained that the baby is very well protected and would not be hurt. However, the baby could be affected by dehydration should one not be able to keep fluids down and hydrated. The doctor emphasized that eating after FP is not near as important as re-hydrating due to the fact that the baby and the sac heavily rely on it for amniotic fluid etc.. I would have her try ice chips as often as possible, and clear juices (apple, white grape, etc..) Start the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) diet if she begins to feel like eating as those are easiest on the sensitive digestive tract. If she cannot quit heaving then ring the doctor and see if he can prescribe a anti-nausea medication to help her rebound quicker (we use phenergan here in the states that's safe during pregnancy). I wish you guys best of luck and congrats on the new one! Hope she feels better soon!

Question: What are the symptoms of food poisoning and how long untill symptoms show up? I feel very nauses and my stomach is cramping like my intestines are notting up also sorry if tmi but I also have diahreah. Please help what else could it be? Or is it food poisoning?

Answer: Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that occur suddenly (within 48 hours) after consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow. These symptoms may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same thing (called an outbreak). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States, food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year. One of the most common bacterial forms of infection, the salmonellae organisms, account for $1 billion in medical costs and lost work time. Worldwide, diarrheal illnesses are among the leading causes of death. Travelers to developing countries often encounter food poisoning in the form of traveler's diarrhea or "Montezuma’s revenge." Additionally, there are possible new global threats to the world's food supply through terrorist actions using food toxins as weapons.

Question: Can food poisoning set in an hour after you eat the possibly containmenated food? My co-worker and I ate sour cream and shreaded cheese from a fast food restuarant and think we may have gotten food poisoning. But it was only about 2 hours ago. Is that possible??

Answer: Depending on what kind of food poisoning it is, it is possible. Food poisioning symptoms can take 1 hour to 72 hours. Just a word of warning: If you want to hold the restaurant legally responsible, you'll have to go to a hospital and get a confirmed diagnosis. It will also be in your best interest to have a sample of the food you got sick from. This way, the lab can match the bacteria in your body with the bacteria found in the food. Then, you need to contact the health department and they will conduct an investigation.

Question: What everyday home foods can cause food poisoning? Could you please give me a list of what food and how it gets rotten and can cause me food poisoning?? I think I ate something bad cuz my stomach doesn't feel too good.. I think expired bread is one of the reasons my stomach is churning.. Please help!? Should I go to the doctors?? How many days will I not be able to go to work then?

Answer: You may have ate bread that had mold on it, if so, you won't feel well for a couple of days, but not as bad as food poisoning. Usually bad food poisoning comes from meat that has been left out of the fridge to long, has expired, has come into contact with something that has bacteria on it, like a dirty counter, or was not cooked properly. If you have bad food poisoning, your stomach will experience excruciating pains, you will feel faint and be sick to your stomach a lot. You might just have a touch of stomach flu, it is flu season.

Question: How long after eating can food poisoning symptoms start? I ate Sushi for lunch, after about an hour, and still now (about two hours since eating) I'm getting waves of nausea that come and go every 10-20 minutes that last about a minute or two, plus a sort of constant sick feeling or a mild stomach and lower stomach pain and cramping (Not sure if this is what a stomach cramp feels like). I've never had a problem with sushi before but this could have been left out too long or something, but now I'm sitting at work and wondering if it's going to get worse... My question is how long after eating can food poisoning symptoms start? It was only an hour until I started feeling a bit cruddy and within an additional half hour, I started getting the above symptoms. Could food poisoning come on that fast? (I might want to call the cafeteria staff and let them know that there might be a problem with they're sushi today or something). Any help (preferably with sources for something like this...) would be great, thanks a lot guys.

Answer: Each person is different in their reactions and timing. Hope this helps you. Food poisoning is a general term that refers to gastrointestinal illnesses (usually diarrhea and/or vomiting) caused by food that is contaminated with bacteria, parasites, viruses, or toxic substances. The actual cause of most individual episodes of food poisoning, however, never is pursued (e.g., a culture is not done) since most episodes are mild or moderate in severity and are over in a few hours to a few days. In fact, the diagnosis of food poisoning usually is made only presumptively, based on the patient's symptoms and the circumstances. Even in outbreaks of suspected food poisoning that involve many people, when careful studies are done, a specific cause is found no more than half of the time. Bacteria are the cause of most outbreaks of food poisoning for which a specific cause is determined. Bacteria cause food poisoning in three ways. After reaching the intestines, they may multiply and produce toxic substances that enter the intestine and cause diarrhea and/or vomiting without damaging the intestine itself. The bacteria also may multiply within the intestines and produce toxic substances that damage the lining of the intestine or they may invade and damage the intestine directly. Finally, some bacteria produce toxic substances that cause diarrhea and/or vomiting in the food before it is eaten. These bacteria do not need to multiply within the intestines, and the toxic substances they produce do not damage the intestine. To know with certainty that a bacterium is causing food poisoning, the bacterium must be cultured, usually from stool and rarely from vomitus. If the food suspected of causing the poisoning still is available, the food can be cultured. Identification of the causative bacterium may require a determination of the bacterial subtype since not all bacteria of one type, e.g., E. coli, cause illness. In some cases, the bacteria isolated from the culture may be tested to see if they produce toxic substances. In food poisoning caused by toxic substances formed by bacteria in food before the food is ingested, e.g., staphylococcal food poisoning, the toxic substance can be sought in the food, stool, or vomitus. The identification of toxic substances, however, is complex and is not done by most bacteriology laboratories.

Question: What happens if a passenger gets food poisoning or appendicitis on a long haul flight? Like I understand that people get heart attacks on airplanes... But what happens if a passenger gets food poisoning or appendicitis on a long haul flight? Where would they emergency land? Do they give some sort of hard-core pain killer?

Answer: If at anytime a passenger (or crew's) life is at risk due to a medical condition, the aircraft will land at the nearest possible airport for medical assistance. In the mean time, aircraft personnel are usually trained with some first aid skills. Typically flights are routed to avoid long hauls over water. This is done mainly because it is difficult to place beacons for navigation in the open sea. For example a flight from San Francisco to Asia for example will fly along the coast northbound then turn around and head south along the Russian coast (the earth curvature doesn't make it farther but sometimes even closer). Aircraft personnel are not trained to provide medicine of any sort. It is not their place and the liability is too high.