According to the CDC, as many as 76 million Americans suffer from some sort of foodborne illness every year. For most people, food poisoning is just a few stomach problems, a little nausea and maybe diarrhea, but for children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, a simple foodborne infection can mean serious long term organ damage and even death. Here is a list of the food bugs that make our catalog of the “baddest of the bad” based on either the likelihood of occurrence or the seriousness of the infection.
1. E. coli (Escherichia coli O157:H7)
While not the most common of foodborne illnesses, it can certainly be a very serious and life altering infection. E. coli O157:H7 is responsible for the majority of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases in the US. HUS is a devastating blood disease that mostly affects children. It can cause kidney damage and other organ failure and HUS is fatal in approximately 15% of the cases. Another frightening fact, though HUS is more likely to occur in children, it is more likely to be fatal in adults.
Aside from the potential diseases caused by E. coli, it is especially scary because it shows up in very common places. Usually found in cow feces, E. coli O157:H7 can show up in ground hamburger, drinking water supplies, swimming pools, raw milk, fruits and vegetables and even a handshake. Since it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, there is no way to detect it on food other than a laboratory test.
2. Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes)
This is another bacterium that is not very common, but if contracted in can cause listeriosis. Though it might be rare, what makes this one so scary is that about 20% of the people infected die. It is especially harmful to pregnant women, resulting in spontaneous miscarriages and stillbirths.
Listeria shows up in all kinds of food, but it really likes unpasteurized dairy, soft cheese, fish, and processed meats. Cooking is a good way of destroying the bacteria but when it comes to soft cheeses and processed meats, such as deli cuts, there is not usually any cooking recommendation.
3. Salmonella (Salmonella spp.)
This is the second most common food borne illness in America, according to the CDC. Typically, there are not usually major complications from salmonella poisoning but because such a large number of individuals are sickened each year, there is a greater chance of children, the elderly and immune system compromised contacting this bacterium. Exposure to salmonella can have long term effects as well. Reiter’s syndrome, also called reactive arthritis, can be a painful and life long illness triggered from these harmful bacteria species.
What is most disconcerting is that salmonella has been showing up in foods that aren’t supposed to be carriers. Peanut Corporation of America, just recently, knowingly sold salmonella contaminated peanut products to dozens of food manufacturers and suppliers, those suppliers in turn made contaminated peanut butter products like candy and crackers; the very foods often set aside by parents for their child’s lunch or snack.
4. Shigella (Shigella spp.)
Shigella species are a common cause of illness. The percent of cases attributed to foodborne illness is not known, but given how just a few shigella bacteria cause sickness, the likelihood is that the percentage is high. Shigella likes people. Along with primates and monkeys, humans account for most of the world’s shigella poisonings. Animals rarely contact the shigella bacterium.
As is usually the case, shigella doesn’t pose much of a threat to healthy adults. But in the case of children, the elderly and immune compromised, shigella poses many of the same threats as E. coli O157:H7. The is the possibility of HUS, Reiter’s syndrome, severe dehydration and the complications that arise from it and with certain strains of shigella the mortality rate might be as high as 15%.
5. Botulism (Clostridium botulinum)
Botulism is very rare. Only a handful of foodborne cases are reported each year. Most of those reported cases are traced back to mistakes in home canning. But it is not the frequency of occurrence that is so frightening; it is the toxicity of the bacterium. The anaerobic bacterium produces a very, very deadly toxic by-product. Botulism cases have a very high mortality rate when individuals do not get treatment fast enough.
Botulism can show up in the canned goods of all varieties of food. Meat and fish products have also tested positive for botulinum. Parents should also be mindful that small infants should not eat honey, as honey can serve as a reservoir for Clostridium botulinum spores.
6. Norovirus (Norwalk Virus Family)
Hands down, the norovirus is the most common form of foodborne illness in the US. It is not particularly deadly but this virus is particularly prevalent. Only the common cold is diagnosed more than viral gastroenteritis of which the norovirus is estimated to be responsible for over 30% of those diagnoses. It is typically transferred through fecal contaminated food and water. Raw shellfish can also be a frequent carrier.
The number of reported food related norovirus cases numbers over ten thousand. Since the symptoms are so similar to the flu, it can often be attributed to influenza rather than food but if you extrapolate those numbers with the CDC’s estimate of unreported foodborne illnesses, there could be as many as hundreds of thousands of Americans infected every year.
According to the CDC, Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States. It seems like it is just about everywhere in our food and water supply. A bizarre and disconcerting statistical surveys show 20% to 100% of chickens marked for retail may contain the bacterium. Untreated water is also a potential carrier.
Mostly manifesting as abdominal problems and diarrhea, but (as usual) in children, the elderly and immune compromised, it can lead to more serious complications like Reiter’s syndrome and HUS and even on rare occasion can be fatal.
8. Toxoplasma gondii
This is a nasty little parasite that shows up all over the world and is believed to be able to contaminate just about every type of food. According to the CDC it is common for people to be carriers but show no signs of sickness. Pregnant women need to be especially mindful of Toxoplasmosis, the illness caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Those who travel to less developed nations should be careful about what food they consume and water they drink.
Toxoplasma gondii may not make you as sick as the other “baddies”, but there is just something unnerving about filthy little parasites swimming around your insides.
So, there you have our list of the baddest viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens that love food as much as you do.
Eating shouldn’t be something to fear and should be a source of joy and excitement. Luckily, many of these illnesses can be prevented with proper food handling and safety, but you can never protect yourself in all situations and you can’t be responsible for food prepared by others.
If you suspect that you have been poisoned by food you have eaten, see a doctor and be sure to voice your concerns. Ask for tests that may isolate and identify the pathogen(s). If you find out you have contracted a foodborne illness, contact your local health department and report it. It may just save a life.
