Expert: Carol Schlitt - 2/28/2007

Question
I am in charge of investigating an intoxication at a plant I work at because a worker got intoxicated with food just once. I think it is not an important fact because this food is healthy and is brought from another place where is cooked and prepared. I do not know how to avoid people to get intexicated again?
Can you help me?
Thank you
Aurax

Answer
HI Aurax,

How are you sure it is an intoxification instead of an infection?  Do you know the strain of bacterium and thus know the growth pattern and pathogenic nature (ie -- whether is produces a toxin or causes an infection.)

You must know the source of the food born illness first before you can know how to prevent it.  Are you 100% sure of the source of the pathogen?

FYI -- an intoxification is caused by the waste product produced by the bacteria.  Live bacteria are not needed to be present. An individual becomes ill in direct relation to the amount of the toxin consumed.  Symptoms usually include acute onset diarrhea, vomiting, nausea (fever is not usually present.) After the toxin is removed from the body the person will be fine (though they may feel weak.)  Food borne intoxication, on the other hand, usually take 6 to 72 hours after consumption that symptoms appear. Symptoms usually include headache, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever -- ie more flu-like symptoms.

So you see you must know the source of the bacteria and the type of bacteria.  While the food may be the source, it may have been infected by unclean hands during preparation. In other words, the food was just he vehicle of transmission -- the food was fine before being touched.

Healthy food is not immune from causing foodborne illness and cooked foods are often implicated in outbreaks.  If the cooked food was held below 140 degrees for a long time a food bacterium could have been placed on the food and in turn this bacteria could produce a toxin in sufficient quantity to make a person ill. You mention that the food is cooked and prepared in another location. Transporting cooked foods, if not done properly under sanitary conditions with the food held at the proper temperature, can be a way for bacteria to multiply to sufficient levels to cause illness.

FYI -- most intoxifications can be traced back to improper sanitation and insufficient hand washing before handling of foods.

I hope this has helped, Aurax.  If you could give me a little more detail I might be able to answer the question more fully.

Carol