The facts about food-borne illnesses

I could live off peanut butter. My favorite thing to do is spread a piece of bread with chunky peanut butter and honey and sprinkle a few corn flakes on it, then munch away. I made myself a pb-and-honey sandwich last week for a snack on a plane ride, and halfway through the first flight, I felt like I was going to spray those sitting next to me with half-masticated chunks of soggy bread and honey.

I blamed this on turbulence. But three days later, I was home in Baltimore and still suffering from vertigo, nausea, fatigue and tummy aches. Suspecting foul play, I chucked my peanut butter and remaining bread, as well as the fruit-nut snack bars I so adore. This is only my second encounter with food poisoning; it's been miserable.

Food poisoning can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemicals. We most commonly hear of food poisoning by various types of bacteria, most notably, Salmonellae, E. coli and Campylobacter.

Salmonellae are bacteria passed to humans through the guts of animals, including meat animals and poultry. Salmonella is generally caused by consuming undercooked poultry or dairy products, but has recently been associated with contaminated peanut butter. Salmonellae survive by inadequate cooking and are often passed from contaminated surfaces to other food.

Salmonella symptoms generally occur one to three days after infection and include fever, nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and headaches. In some cases, salmonella can escape from the gut into other organs, and may cause a chronic infection. In most people with robust immune systems, symptoms will disappear within four to seven days, but in people with weaker immune systems, such as the very old or very young, or those with HIV, a Salmonella infection can be life-threatening. If infected, it's important to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, particularly if you suffer from acute diarrhea. If the infection spreads outside the intestines, antibiotics can be prescribed.

Next, E. coli. E. coli infections are generally associated with contaminated water or undercooked beef. E. coli infections are a growing cause of food-borne illnesses, with an estimated 73,000 cases in the U.S. each year (CDC). While generally Baltimoreans don't have to worry about contaminated water, people going camping or hiking have to watch out for their water supply. If the latrine is placed too close to the water source, human waste, which is chock-full of E. coli, can pollute the water and cause serious infections.

E. coli infections can cause awful symptoms, mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The serious symptoms include bloody, watery stool and abdominal pain, mild fever, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms may occur one to eight days after infection. In two to seven percent of people, infections can lead to a dangerous complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause profuse bleeding, red blood cell destruction and kidney failure.

There is no specific treatment for an E. coli infection other than to drink a lot of fluids to counter the dehydrating effects of watery diarrhea, and to wait out the infection by pooping out all the bad bacteria. Most people will recover on their own within 10 days. In the case of serious complications, hospital treatment is often necessary.

Next, the most common cause of diarrhea in people worldwide - Campylobacter. Campylobacter are also found in contaminated meats and almost all raw poultry. Campylobacter grow happily in the intestines of most healthy birds, but can also be transmitted by other raw meat and unpasteurized milk.

Like our other bacterial illnesses, a Campylobacter infection will cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever two to five days after infection. Most people recover quickly, several days after the onset of symptoms, but occasionally there will be serious life-threatening complications, such as spreading infections to the blood, pancreas and liver, reactive arthritis or a rare disease called Guillain-Bare syndrome, causing paralysis resulting in respiratory and neurological problems, and sometimes death.

As in our other bacterial illnesses, it's best to simply stay hydrated and wait out the infection, although antibiotics may be prescribed in more serious cases.

There are many other bacteria that can cause similar infections, such as Staphylococcus, found in dairy products and some salads, Shigella, caused by fecal contamination of water and botulism, which causes serious illnesses that affect the nervous system, causing drooping eyelids and blurred vision.

The best way to avoid food-borne illnesses is to wash your hands, thoroughly wash and cook your food and avoid licking cake batter spoons. Most infections will go away on their own within a week or two, although serious complications can occur. If you notice recurrent diarrhea or stomach pain after eating peanut butter or hamburger patties, don't take it lightly - toss the stuff, drink some boiled water and call your doctor.