Gastroenteritis—Foodborne Illness

Also called: Food Poisoning

Each year, around 48 million people in the United States get sick from contaminated food. Common causes include bacteria and viruses. Less often, the cause may be a parasite or a harmful chemical, such as a high amount of pesticides. Symptoms of foodborne illness depend on the cause. They can be mild or serious. They usually include

• Upset stomach
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Dehydration

Most foodborne illnesses are acute. This means that they happen suddenly and last a short time.

It takes several steps to get food from the farm or fishery to your dining table. Contamination can happen during any of these steps. For example, it can happen to

• Raw meat during slaughter
• Fruits and vegetables when they are growing or when they are processed
• Refrigerated foods when they are left on a loading dock in warm weather

But it can also happen in your kitchen if you leave food out for more than 2 hours at room temperature. Handling food safely can help prevent foodborne illnesses.

Most people with foodborne illness get better on their own. It is important to replace lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. If your health care provider can diagnose the specific cause, you may get medicines such as antibiotics to treat it. For more serious illness, you may need treatment at a hospital.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Food poisoning (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foodborne Illness-Causing Organisms in the U.S.: What You Need to Know (Food and Drug Administration) – PDF
• Gastritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Poisoning – fish and shellfish (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Shigellosis (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Stomach flu

Have you ever had the “stomach flu?” What you probably had was gastroenteritis – not a type of flu at all. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the intestines caused by a virus, bacteria or parasites. Viral gastroenteritis is the second most common illness in the U.S. The cause is often a norovirus infection. It spreads through contaminated food or water, and contact with an infected person. The best prevention is frequent hand washing.

Symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Most people recover with no treatment.

The most common problem with gastroenteritis is dehydration. This happens if you do not drink enough fluids to replace what you lose through vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration is most common in babies, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Bacterial gastroenteritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bland diet (Medical Encyclopedia)
• CMV – gastroenteritis/colitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stool Gram stain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Viral gastroenteritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• When you have nausea and vomiting (Medical Encyclopedia)
• When you or your child has diarrhea (Medical Encyclopedia)