What Is Bacterial Food Poisoning?

Bacterial food poisoning refers to the acute toxic disease caused by the patient's intake of food or water contaminated with bacteria and / or its toxins, and may have different clinical manifestations depending on the pathogen.

Basic Information

English name

bacterial food poisoning

Visiting department

Gastroenterology

Common causes

Contaminated food or water caused by bacteria or their toxins

Common symptoms

Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and watery stools, with fever, etc.

Causes of bacterial food poisoning

The disease is caused by contamination of the food or water received by the patient with bacteria and / or its toxins.

Clinical manifestations of bacterial food poisoning

Staphylococcal food poisoning

It is an acute disease caused by eating food contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins. The common foods that cause grape poisoning food poisoning are mainly starches (such as leftovers, porridge, rice noodles, etc.), milk and dairy products, fish meat, eggs, etc. The contaminated foods are left at room temperature 20 ° C to 22 ° C for more than 5 hours When the bacteria multiply and produce enterotoxin, this toxin is very heat-resistant. After boiling for 30 minutes, it can still maintain its virulence and cause disease. The disease is mostly in summer and autumn.

2. Escherichia coli food poisoning

It is an acute disease caused by eating food contaminated with E. coli and its enterotoxins. Although the vast majority of E. coli are normal intestinal flora, there are still a small number of special types of E. coli that are quite virulent and, once infected, will cause severe epidemics. The most representative is E. coli, coded O157: H7, which is a member of the EHEC (enterhaemorrhagic E. coli) family. The United States had three outbreaks of O157: H7 in 1982, 1984, and 1993; Japan had a pandemic that affected more than 9,000 people in 1996. O157: The main symptom after H7 infection is hemorrhagic diarrhea, and severe cases can be accompanied by hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is life-threatening. According to different biological characteristics, pathogenic E. coli is divided into 6 categories: enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterotoxic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E.coli (EIEC), and enterohemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC), intestinal adhesive E. coli (EAEC), and diffuse adhesive E. coli (DAEC).

3. Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning

It is caused by acute and subacute diseases after eating food contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common food poisoning pathogen. It accounts for a significant proportion of bacterial food poisoning. Clinically, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and watery stools are the main symptoms. Food poisoning caused by this bacterium has outbreak-causing disease (same time, same area, same or similar symptoms, same contaminated food), short incubation period (hours to days), certain seasonal (multi-summer autumn) and other bacterial food Common characteristics of poisoning.

4. Proteus food poisoning

It is caused by ingesting a large amount of food contaminated by Proteus, which is a food poisoning caused by conditional pathogens. Proteus is a Gram-negative bacterium. It can be divided into ordinary Proteus and Proteus mirabilis according to different biochemical reactions. There are more than 100 serotypes. A large number of proteobacteria grow and reproduce in the human body and produce enterotoxin, causing food poisoning. The incidence is higher in summer and autumn, and the clinical manifestations are gastrointestinal and allergic.

Bacterial food poisoning test

Bacterial culture

Suspect food, vomit and feces should be taken for bacterial culture.

2. Serological test

Make corresponding serological tests according to different causes.

3. Blood culture

If the patient has fever (eg, body temperature> 38.4 ° C) and signs of sepsis (tachycardia, hypotension, poor capillary filling, shortness of breath, acute disturbance of consciousness, oliguria), blood culture should be performed to exclude bacterial blood disease. Blood culture of critically ill patients, the early and two weeks after the illness, and the suspected bacteria isolated from the culture and the serum agglutination test are performed. The increase in titer of the serum agglutination titer has diagnostic value. When in doubt, especially those suspected of bacterial toxin poisoning, animal tests can be performed to detect bacterial toxins.

Bacterial food poisoning treatment

General treatment

The disease is often self-limiting and requires only bed rest and fasting if necessary. The recovery diet should be a digestible liquid or semi-liquid diet, and normal conditions can be restored after the condition improves. Salmonella food poisoning should be isolated at the bedside.

Symptomatic treatment

Those with obvious vomiting and abdominal pain can take oral amphetamine (probencin) or subcutaneously injected atropine, or anisodamine. Those who can eat should be given oral rehydration. Severe vomiting can not eat or frequent diarrhea, give intravenous drip of sugar. In case of acidosis, supplement 5% sodium bicarbonate injection or 11.2% sodium lactate solution as appropriate. Those who are severely dehydrated or even in shock should actively rehydrate, maintain electrolyte balance and give anti-shock treatment.

3. Antibacterial treatment

Antibiotics are generally not required. For severe patients with high fever, antibacterial drugs can be selected according to different pathogens. Such as Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus can use quinolone antibiotics.