Food poisoning is an acute illness that usually results from the consumption of food or water contaminated with bacteria and/or their toxins, parasites (e.g., E. histolytica), viruses, or chemicals.
The most common causes include leaving prepared food at temperatures that allow bacterial growth, reheating leftovers improperly, mixing raw and cooked food, and food handler infections. Contamination is by far the major contributing factor, followed by pathogen proliferation.
The most common pathogens involved in foodborne infections are Norovirus, Salmonella sp., Shigella dysenteriae, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens/botulinum, Escherichia coli (particularly the O157:H7 strain), Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, and . . .
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