How To Solve A Food Poisoning Mystery

8 days ago

Food poisoning isn't new for a lot of us and we come to this conclusion after we have been diagnosed of it by a doctor but before the doctors do the diagnosis, we go through torturous experiences including gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, sometimes people can pass out after suffering these torment as a result of the poisoning but what is food poisoning?

Food poisoning isn't one thing as you would expect because according to the United States Centers for Disease Control, there are over 100 species of bacteria, parasites, and viruses that causes food poisoning, also different microorganisms contaminate different food type and their incubation period can vary just as their symptoms can vary. This incubation period is what makes it tricky as it can be difficult to identify where and when a person ate contaminated food.

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Depending on the region, different microbes can be the number 1 cause of food poisoning ranging from E.coli, to Norovirus, and so on depending on the region. For cases of viruses such as the norovirus, it requires a host to multiply and this multiplication happens in the gut of the host and when intestinal cells are found, the membrane receptors of the hosts are tricked thereby allowing the virus to get in and start to multiply.

After multiplying, they want to come out to continue infecting the cells and in doing so they destroy the membrane leading to inflammatory response which causes the body to respond by releasing plasma into the tissues from blood vessels. It is this inflammatory responses happening in the gut, that contributes to the symptoms that we experience which would include diarrhea, low fever, and vomiting.

Talking about Norovirus, there have been a lot of volunteers to test norovirus and scientist have been working on a vaccine for the virus but for now, there is no FDA approved vaccine for the virus. While Norovirus is the leading cause of food poisoning, the virus itself isn't usually gottrn from contaminated food rather, it can be caused from contaminated surfaces, and infected people.

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For me, identifying where and what led to food poisoning can be a tricky one but I'll start first with the source. Did anyone else eat the food I ate and did they fall sick at the same time as myself? What I do is similar to how the CDC identify sources of food poisoning outbreaks when dealing on a larger scale. To identify this, they check for areas where there is a peak or cluster of the illness. In the areas of spike and clusters, they perform analysis and tests on fecal samples from patients suffering from the illness so as to be able to identify the microbe(s) responsible which could be Bacteria like E.coli, Listeria and Salmonella or virus like Norovirus.

Researchers will also interview people so as to identify the root cause. If it is linked to a particular food produce, then the entire food source will checked to identify if it is certainly the cause. If the source is found, it is then stopped so as to prevent a spread of the food borne illness.

For most healthy adults, recovery will happen over time on its own but the best thing to do is to go to the doctor immediately or after a few days if there are no changes. I am very careful when it comes to what I eat, and currently, I listen to the food and drug agency on X (formally Twitter) so as to get information on recalled food and drug products. Also, I ensure to wash my hand often so I do not transfer microbes to my mouth. Also, I ensure that I wash foods, fruits, and vegetables before cooking or when eating them raw. I thoroughly cook the food I want to eat such as beef, poultry, egg, and other food item so the microbes in them can be killed properly.