About 1,100 children are hospitalized every year with symptoms of food poisoning. The situation is different in adolescents and adults. The cause of teenage poisoning is excessive drug use, especially alcohol. Food intoxication requires urgent measures, since in some cases it leads to death.
What foodborne pathogens cause poisoning?
| Pathogen | Symptoms and Complications | Incubation period | Food |
| Campylobacter | Diarrhea, muscle pain, fever | 2-11 days | Chicken, raw milk, contaminated drinking water |
| Salmonella | Vomiting, diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, fever, in severe cases meningitis, sepsis | 6-72 hours | Eggs, poultry, meat, milk, ice cream, salads, contaminated drinking water |
| Listeria | Diarrhea, flu-like symptoms with headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, in severe sepsis. In pregnancy: premature birth or abortion | 3-70 days | Raw meat products, sliced and packaged sausages products, unpasteurized raw milk (products), fat cheese, cold smoked fish |
Verotoxin-producing | Diarrhea (sometimes bloody), nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, possible complications: hemolytic uremic syndrome | 1-3 (maximum 8) days | Raw beef and unpasteurized milk |
Toxoplasmosis(parasite) | Mostly asymptomatic, in severe cases - encephalitis. Primary infection in pregnant women can lead to malformations in the child or to abortion | 10-23 days for cysts, 5-20 days for oocytes | Raw meat (especially sheep) |
3 steps for food poisoning if food is still in the stomach
- Induce vomiting in humans.
- Give activated charcoal (100 mg per 1 kg of body weight) or another adsorbent.
- Introduce antibiotic (not required in all cases).
How to be treated after gastric lavage?
Treatment in healthy adults and children is limited to consuming a sufficient amount of liquid, salt, and sugar. A home-made solution consists of 1 liter of water, 8 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Easily digestible products - crackers, pretzel or white bread - contribute to the restoration of damaged intestinal mucosa.
Nutritional abstinence during diarrhea is not recommended because the intestines do not receive nutrients. Intestinal function slows down during fasting, which only exacerbates the course of the disease.
Food poisoning patients should follow a low fat and protein diet. It is important to give up raw foods, milk, alcohol, Coca-Cola and coffee. Do not keep vomiting and bowel movements, as it helps to quickly remove bacterial toxins from the body.
Attention! The chances of getting food poisoning are high in people who have poor personal hygiene.
Antibiotics are not required in all cases. Only in very serious condition (more than 10 bowel movements within 24 hours and bloody stools) require the appointment of drugs. With the following diseases, antibiotics are always needed:
- salmonellosis;
- immunocompromised patients and infants;
- campylobacteriosis;
- listeriosis.
Neurological symptoms - impaired vision, swallowing, and speech - indicate botulinum toxin poisoning.
The antidote against botulism should be administered after confirmation of the diagnosis, as a person is able to die within 48 hours.
The use of antibiotics is contraindicated in infections caused by Escherichia coli, as the risk of complications increases. Before using antibiotics, you should consult your doctor. Self-medication is strictly prohibited.
Are probiotics a useful supplement for treating food poisoning?
Some studies show that probiotics speed up the healing process. It has been proven that some probiotic bacteria stimulate the immune system of the intestinal mucosa. They produce substances that are similar in action to an antibiotic.
Other studies show that daily intake of probiotic food does not affect the intestines in any way.
According to these studies, positive effects can only be achieved by the constant use of a large number of bacteria.
Uncomplicated diarrhea without fever and blood impurities disappears within a few days. Only cases of botulism poisoning can lead to death if left untreated.
