Oysters are a risk, as is raw meat': why you get food poisoning and how to avoid it

"Many people in the modern world, it's probably fair to say, do not take food poisoning particularly seriously. Yes, most folks wash their hands after handling raw chicken and use different chopping boards for beef and green beans but who among us can honestly say we've never used the same tongs for an entire barbecue or left a storage box of cooked rice on the sideboard for a couple of hours? Ignore that rhetorical question"

"At the risk of stating the obvious, food poisoning occurs when you eat food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins but that doesn't mean it always works the same way. Some bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus sometimes found in reheated rice produce toxins before the food is eaten, meaning they can cause symptoms such as sudden vomiting within hours, says Dr Masarat Jilani, an NHS specialist who regularly manages children and adults with food poisoning."

Food poisoning occurs when you eat food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins. Different pathogens act by distinct mechanisms and produce different symptom patterns. Bacillus cereus can produce toxins in food that cause sudden vomiting within hours and can also produce a different toxin in the small intestine that causes diarrhoea. Salmonella and E. coli often act after ingestion and produce longer-lasting symptoms through inflammation of the gut. Campylobacter jejuni penetrates the gut lining with a spiral, corkscrew motion, whereas Shigatoxigenic E. coli excretes Shiga toxins. Symptom timing can suggest the likely pathogen, but identification rarely happens in practice.

Read at www.theguardian.com