Food poisoning symptoms

Food poisoning is usually mild and common, but occasionally it can be a deadly illness. It happens when someone consumes food or drink contaminated with toxins or bacteria. Sometimes, toxins from pesticides or chemicals also cause food poisoning.

Food poisoning symptoms are usually mild and people who are afflicted by it recover quickly. Although some bacteria can multiply (grow) from one to millions if it is given the right amount of time, warmth, food, and moisture. The more bacteria that is present in your body, the higher will be your chances of illness and infection.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell if the food or drink is contaminated because the smell, taste, and look may not really be affected. Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter are the common types of bacteria that will cause infection.

Incubation periods are different for each food poisoning case. Common symptoms may develop within 30 minutes and worsen over the next few days or weeks. Common food poisoning symptoms include the following:

• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Nausea

Depending on the contaminant, there are also various symptoms to watch out for:

• Viruses
o Noroviruses – low-grade fever, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. These are resolved in around 2-3 days.
o Rotavirus – moderate to severe types of illness with vomiting followed by fever and diarrhea. It is the most common food poisoning in children.
o Hepatitis A – mild illness with jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), feeling of tiredness, loss of appetite, and a sudden onset of fever.
• Bacteria
o Salmonellae – moderate illness with headache arthritis (joint pain), headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
o Campylobacter – mild illness with muscle aches, headaches, watery diarrhea, and fever.
• Parasites – mild watery diarrhea for a week

• Toxic Agents
o Mushroom toxins – mild to deadly depending on the mushroom type that is eaten. Some types will just produce diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea while some will produce nerve toxins causing shaking, sweating, hallucinations and coma.

Seek medical care when the food poisoning symptoms you see do not stop for more than a week.