| Foodborne disease outbreak | - two or more people become ill from eating a common food
- the food is confirmed by laboratory diagnosis as the source of illness
- two exceptions: single case of botulism, illness from chemical contamination of food |
| Main Causes of Food-borne Illness | - improper cooling
- foods prepared 12+ hrs before consumption
- infected food handler
- inadequate reheating
- improper hot holding
- inadequate cooking/drying/acidification
- cross contamination
- mixing raw and cooked food |
| Foodborne enteric viruses | - difficult to detect
- few detection methods available
- do not multiply in food
- require living host
ex: Hepatitis A virus and Norwalk-like viruses (noroviruses) |
| Hepatitis A Virus | - can be grown in cell cultures --> vaccines can be produced
- in intestinal tract of humans
- excreted in high numbers in feces
- long incubation period, usually 4 weeks (2-7 weeks)
- symptoms: fever, malaise, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, inflamed liver, jaundice
- common food vehicles: contaminated shellfish, raw vegetables |
| Norwalk-like Viruses (Noroviruses) | - growth recently achieved
- fecal-oral route of transmission --> foods contaminated with fecal matter
- cause gastroenteritis
- symptoms: vomiting and diarrhea, "stomach flu, winter vomiting disease"
- shorter incubation period: 12-24 hrs
- food vehicles: contaminated vegetables, shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels, cockles) |
| Norovirus Prevention | - destroy viruses in contaminated foods
- proper sanitation and good personal hygiene
- keep suspected persons away from handling foods |
