Common Foodborne Illnesses

With all the different microbes that can infect the human body, standards for good hygiene and food temperature become of the utmost importance. The following chart lists the most common of these microbes.

Name	Method of Contamination*	Oxygen Requirement†	Implicated Foods	Prevention
BACTERIA: Require temperature in the danger zone, proper pH, high protein source, and available water/moisture.
Bacillus cereus	Intoxication + Toxin-mediated infection	Facultative	Cereals, rice, grains	Hold hot, rapid cool, rapid reheat
Clostridium botulinum	Intoxication (12-36 hours), deadly!	Anaerobic, spore former	Low acid foods, meat, poultry,canned goods, baked potatoes and salad,flavored oils (especially w/garlic)	Heat processing, rapid cool and reheat, no home-processed foods, throw away any swollen or suspect cans
Clostridium perfringens	Infection (8-22 hours), usually no vomiting,common in Austin.	Anaerobic, spore former	Beans, cooked meats & poultry, gravy, rice,thick things that take a long time to cool	N/A
Staphylococcus aureus	Intoxication (6-12 hours)	Facultative	Cooked high-protein foods (esp. @ room temp.)	Cold storage, rapid cooling, preventcross-contamination from snot, spit, and acne. Toxin survives cook, cool, freezing, and nitrites
E. coli 0157.H7	Toxin-mediated infection (12-60 hours),causes bloody diarrhea, can be fatal, (causes kidney failure in kids and old folks)	Facultative	Raw/undercooked ground beef, pork, poultry, lamb	Cook to 165ºF, prevent cross-contamination, good hygiene
Campylobacter jejuni	Infection	Low oxygen	Raw (unpasteurized) milk, cream, pastries	Cook
Listeria monocytogenes	Infection	Facultative	Raw milk and soft cheeses, raw andsmoked fish, raw fermented sausages	Cook, use pasteurized products
Salmonella	Infection (6-72 hours) can be fatal!	Facultative	Poultry and eggs, raw meats, dairy, cream-filled desserts	Cook to 165ºF, prevent cross-contamination
Shigella dysentery	Infection (1-4 days), highly infectious,can easily re-infect repeatedly	Facultative	Pasta, noodle, potato, and meat salads	Prevent cross-contamination, good hygiene, safe food source
PARASITES Require nutrients from host.
Anisakiasis	Caused by a nematode (worm)	N/A	Found in sushi, oysters, undercooked seafood	N/A
Trichinella spiralis (Trichinosis)	Caused by a worm	N/A	Usually found in wild animals and sea mammals	Cook to 155ºF
VIRUSES Require host for survival. More heat-resistant than bacteria, much smaller quantity needed to cause illness. Don't need a hazardous food to survive. Reproduce inside living organisms.
Hepatitis A	Viral infection, infectious from day one,and can take up to 50 days to show ymptoms (jaundice, fatigue)	N/A	Found in contaminated water, raw shellfish	Proper personal hygiene, preventcross-contamination, avoid fecal/oral andcarrier contamination; immunization available