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What You Need to Know about Foodborne Illnesses Home
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          What You Need to Know about Foodborne IllnessesConsumers What You Need to Know about Foodborne Illnesses
  	
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While the American food supply is among the safest in the world, the Federal government estimates that there are about **48 million cases of foodborne illness annually**—the equivalent of sickening 1 in 6 Americans each year. And each year these illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

The chart below includes foodborne disease-causing organisms that frequently cause illness in the United States. As the chart shows, the threats are numerous and varied, with symptoms ranging from relatively mild discomfort to very serious,life-threatening illness. While the very young, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of serious consequences from most foodborne illnesses, some of the organisms shown below pose grave threats to *all* persons.

Organism
			Common Name of Illness
			Onset Time After Ingesting
			Signs & Symptoms
			Duration
			Food Sources*Bacillus cereus*
			*B. cereus* food poisoning
			10-16 hrs
			Abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea
			24-48 hours
			Meats, stews, gravies, vanilla sauce*Campylobacter jejuni*
			Campylobacteriosis
			2-5 days
			Diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting; diarrhea may be bloody
			2-10 days
			Raw and undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk,contaminated water*Clostridium
			botulinum*
			Botulism
			12-72 hours
			Vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, double vision, difficulty in swallowing, muscle weakness. Can result in respiratory failure and death
			Variable
			Improperly canned foods, especially home-canned vegetables, fermented fish, baked potatoes in aluminum foil*Clostridium
			perfringens*
			Perfringens food
			poisoning
			8–16 hours
			Intense abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea
			Usually 24
			hours
			Meats, poultry, gravy, dried or precooked foods, time and/or temperature-abused foods*Cryptosporidium*
			Intestinal
			cryptosporidiosis
			2-10 days
			Diarrhea (usually watery), stomach cramps, upset stomach, slight fever
			May be remitting and relapsing over weeks to months
			Uncooked food or food contaminated by an ill food handler after cooking, contaminated drinking water*Cyclospora
			cayetanensis*
			Cyclosporiasis
			1-14 days, usually at least 1 week
			Diarrhea (usually watery), loss of appetite, substantial loss of weight, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue
			May be remitting and relapsing over weeks to months
			Various types of fresh produce (imported berries, lettuce, basil)*E. coli
			(Escherichia coli)*
			producing toxin
			*E. coli* infection
			(common cause of
			“travelers’ diarrhea”)
			1-3 days
			Watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, some vomiting
			3-7 or more days
			Water or food contaminated with human feces*E. coli*O157:H7
			Hemorrhagic colitis
			or *E. coli* O157:H7 infection
			1-8 days
			Severe (often bloody) diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Usually, little or no fever is present. More common in children 4 years or younger. Can lead to kidney failure.
			5-10 days
			Undercooked beef (especially hamburger), unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables (e.g. sprouts), and contaminated waterHepatitis A
			Hepatitis
			28 days average (15-50 days)
			Diarrhea, dark urine, jaundice, and flu-like symptoms, i.e., fever, headache, nausea, and abdominal pain
			Variable, 2 weeks-3 months
			Raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler; shellfish from contaminated waters*Listeria
			monocytogenes*
			Listeriosis
			9-48 hrs for gastro-intestinal symptoms, 2-6 weeks for invasive disease
			Fever, muscle aches, and nausea or diarrhea. Pregnant women may have mild flu-like illness, and infection can lead to premature delivery or stillbirth. The elderly or immunocompromised patients may develop bacteremia or meningitis.
			Variable
			Unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, ready-to-eat deli meatsNoroviruses
			Variously called viral gastroenteritis, winter diarrhea, acute non- bacterial gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and food infection
			12-48 hrs
			Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, headache. Diarrhea is more prevalent in adults, vomiting more common in children.
			12-60 hrs
			Raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler; shellfish from contaminated waters*Salmonella*
			Salmonellosis
			6-48 hours
			Diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting
			4-7 days
			Eggs, poultry, meat, unpateurized milk or juice, cheese, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables*Shigella*
			Shigellosis or Bacillary dysentery
			4-7 days
			Abdominal cramps, fever, and diarrhea. Stools may contain blood and mucus.
			24-48 hrs
			Raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler*Staphylococcus aureus*
			Staphylococcal food poisoning
			1-6 hours
			Sudden onset of severe nausea and vomiting. Abdominal cramps. Diarrhea and fever may be present.
			24-48 hours
			Unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated meats, potato and egg salads, cream pastries*Vibrio
			parahaemolyticus*
			*V. parahaemolyticus* infection
			4-96 hours
			Watery (occasionally bloody) diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever
			2-5 days
			Undercooked or raw seafood, such as shellfish*Vibrio vulnificus*
			*V. vulnificus* infection
			1-7 days
			Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloodborne infection. Fever, bleeding within the skin, ulcers requiring surgical removal. Can be fatal to persons with liver disease or weakened immune systems.
			2-8 days
			Undercooked or raw seafood, such as shellfish (especially oysters)

For more information about food safety, call FDA's Food Information Line at: 1-888-SAFEFOODor submit your inquiry electronically. The line is open Monday through Friday 10AM – 4PM EST except for Thursdays 12:30PM – 1:30PM EST and Federal Holidays.

Related Content

Causes of Foodborne Illness: Bad Bug Book (Second Edition)
	People at Risk

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      02/17/2022
                  
                   
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesWhat You Need to Know about Foodborne Illnesses
 
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