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Food Poisoning Parasites

problematic foodborne pathogens

Parasites & Foodborne Illness

There are about 20 different species of parasites that are known to cause illness in humans from contaminated food or water.

They range in size from microscopic single-celled organisms known as protozoa to visible worms known as helminths. But, what they all have in common is that they derive their nourishment from other living organisms known as host organisms.

When the parasites live and reproduce in the tissues and organs of animal and human hosts they can then be excreted in feces and go on to infect other individuals. There is a hard shell covering to some varieties of protozoa that permit them to survive for lengthy periods of time in water waiting to infect another host.

Examples of protozoan parasites include Cyclospora, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. A well-known foodborne helminth is Trichinella, an intestinal roundworm.

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Symptoms

Common signs of foodborne illness are upset stomach, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. These can develop in as short of a time as 30 minutes to as long as several days or weeks after consuming contaminated food or water.

Beyond these obvious symptoms, parents and family members often sense when serious illness is developing and should trust their instincts regarding when to seek help. Many describe lethargy, paleness, sleepiness in the hours/days leading up to diagnosis with severe foodborne infection.
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Causes

Most foodborne poisoning incidents are considered sporadic, not connected to an outbreak, and are most often caused by directly consuming food contaminated with an infectious agent.

Secondary infection can also be caused by coming into contact with another person who is infected. Pathogens can also be contracted by drinking contaminated water.
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Diagnosis

It’s imperative that accurate testing be conducted early. If foodborne illness is suspected, your doctor should submit appropriate specimens for laboratory testing.

The most common lab tests are stool cultures which may take several days to render results. These cultures grow bacterial isolates which reveal critical information: which organism is making you sick, what its DNA fingerprint is, and which if any antibiotics can be used to treat your infection.
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Treatment

When you seek medical care for diagnosis and treatment for food poisoning, you will likely enter the system through:
+ your pediatrician
+ your family medicine doctor
+ a hospital emergency room

During this first medical contact, you can expect the following three actions to be taken:
+ oral history
+ physical exam
+ diagnostic testing
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Risk Factors

Food poisoning is more dangerous for some people than others. It’s best to call a doctor for:
+ Adults 60 and older
+ Babies and children
+ Pregnant women
+ People with a chronic illness or compromised immune system
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Complications

It’s conservatively estimated that 200,000 Americans develop long-term ailments from food poisoning including illnesses like chronic kidney disease (CKD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), reactive arthritis (Reiter’s Syndrome), Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), insulin-dependent diabetes, seizures, visual disabilities, cognitive and developmental deficits.
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Prevention

Foodborne illnesses can be prevented by properly storing, cooking, cleaning, and handling foods.

Get in the practice of washing hands, using a meat thermometer for safe internal temperatures, and a fridge and freezer thermometer for safe storage of raw and cooked foods, washing fruits and vegetables, keeping raw meat (and juices) separate from other foods, and cleaning and sanitizing work surfaces and utensils.
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Common Sources

Foodborne illnesses arise from a variety of pathogens, but many cases are linked to foods that were unsanitary and contaminated at their source. If you or your loved one are experiencing the symptoms of foodborne illness, take a moment to review these common sources of infection.

Illnesses can come from a variety of sources, and this list is a good place to start narrowing down possible sources of illness.
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Consequences & Aftermath

When a foodborne outbreak occurs, companies will rally and recover. Families, however, don’t. They never fully recover. If there’s a death, there will always be an empty chair at the table.

One thing we take very seriously at Stop Foodborne Illness—and have tremendous passion for—is helping individuals and families cope with and triumph over the difficult, painful, and devastating aftermath of foodborne disease.
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five common types

Parasites that cause foodborne illness

Cyclospora
Giardia
Cryptosporidium
Toxoplasma
Trichinella

Real People with real stories

Testimonials

Read their whole story on our Honor Wall

God give me strength! I still, to this day, will cry a river when I have to talk about it. No family should ever have to face what our family has gone through. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. More than ever, we know now to appreciate every day we have each other.
Charles & KathleenE. coli
Charles & Kathleen
Some 20 different specialists were visited with the goal of learning what was happening to me, but no one seemed to know ... I became obsessed with searching out and visiting doctors. “The next one will have a key for me,” I kept thinking. Friends and family could see that I was not the same person ... I was so consumed by my illnesses that I didn’t laugh or talk anymore.
LorensCampylobacter
Lorens
When my baby was born a couple weeks later, I felt relieved that he had made it through the danger and was now safe in my arms. Soon, though, we began to notice that things were not quite right. He projectile vomited constantly, and fluctuated between burning diarrhea and terrible constipation. Strangely, when he cried, he did not make tears.
ElizabethListeria
Elizabeth
Even though I lack the personal memories, learning of my own brush with death due to contaminated food has served to enhance my studies, increase my awareness of foodborne disease, and strengthen my willingness to help anyone who finds themselves in such a condition. It is by fate and curiosity that I have found myself in the study of fermented foods and microorganisms.
KolawolePathogen Unknown
Kolawole

Pathogen reference table

Incubation/Onset table

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recent recalls
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STOP culls recall and outbreak information from FDA, USDA, CFIA and CDC for anyonewho  signs up for our free Food Recall Alerts.

Covering all 50 US States and Puerto Rico, and ten Canadian provinces and three territories, each recall notice includes the item(s) recalled, the contaminating pathogen, the states and provinces impacted, details about the products, and links to more information.

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Information provided in this section is in the public domain and is provided by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA); US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD); and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

This information is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a healthcare provider. If you have any questions about the bacteria described in this section or think that you may have a bacterial infection, please consult a healthcare provider.
As the voice of people affected by foodborne illness, we collaborate with partners in academia, the food industry, and government to prevent foodborne illness.  We advocate for effective food safety policy and facilitate culture change to increase food safety.

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