Common Food Poisoning Diseases Are a Result of Bacteria
Bacteria and viruses commonly cause people to get sick from tainted food. The most commonly recognized food-borne infections are those caused by the bacteria campylobacter, salmonella and e. coli O157:H7 and by a group of viruses called calicivirus, also known as the Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you or a loved one has been injured because of food poisoning, you deserve to have a strong legal advocate on your side. Contact Metzger Wickersham for a free and confidential consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, among other possible damages.
The following is a list of bacteria viruses that commonly cause food poisoning:
- Campylobacter: A bacterial pathogen that causes fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. This is the most commonly identified bacterial cause of diarrheal illness in the world. These bacterial live in the intestines of health birds. Most raw poultry meat has campylobacter on it. Eating undercooked chicken or other food that has been contaminated with juices dripping from raw chicken is the most frequent source of this infection.
- Salmonella: A bacterium that is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles and mammals. It can spread to humans through a variety of different foods of animal origin. The illness it causes, salmonellosis, typically includes fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In people with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, it can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections.
- E. coli 0157:H7: A bacterial pathogen that has a reservoir in cattle and other similar animals. Human illness typically follows consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of cow feces. The illness it causes is often a severe and bloody diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps, without much fever. In 3-5 percent of cases, a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur several weeks after the initial symptoms. This severe complication includes temporary anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.
- Calicivirus, or Norwalk-like virus: A very common cause of food-borne illness, this virus is rarely diagnosed, because the laboratory test is not widely available. The virus causes an acute gastrointestinal illness, usually with more vomiting than diarrhea, that resolves within two days. Unlike many food-borne pathogens that have animal reservoirs, it is believed that Norwalk-like viruses spread primarily from one infected person to another. Infected kitchen workers can contaminate a salad or sandwich as they prepare it, if they have the virus on their hands. Infected fishermen have contaminated oysters as they harvested them.
Contact a Food Poisoning Lawyer with Our Firm
At Metzger Wickersham, serving Harrisburg, Shippensburg, Lancaster, York, and Wilkes-Barre and communities throughout Pennsylvania, a food poisoning lawyer may be able to help if you or a loved one has been injured by food poisoning. Contact us.
Remember, your initial consultation is free, and you don't pay us unless you win.
