What are some of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses?
A foodborne illness is actually a very broad term: it's an illness that a human gets by eating some type of food. We typically think of it as being something that's caused by bacteria, but the definition includes getting ill from viruses or even other food contaminants like lead.
There may be over 200 different pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses, but the majority of illnesses are caused by a dozen or fewer pathogens. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three types of pathogens cause the majority of foodborne illnesses.
The most common one is the Norwalk virus. This virus causes millions of illnesses and is the same pathogen that was causing the problem on the cruise ships last summer. Unlike bacteria, viruses such as Norwalk do not grow in food. The food has to be contaminated with the virus, usually through a worker who's carrying it on their hands, or sometimes it can get contaminated through other food sources. The next one is Campylobacter. That's associated with chicken and is very common. And then there is Salmonella, a very vicious group of bacteria that can cause some pretty severe symptoms. They can come from the animal itself and contaminate milk or meat. And because this bacteria is in fecal matter, if you're not very careful about hand washing, it can get into the food that way.
Why are foodborne illnesses more common in the summer?
Most bacteria grow more rapidly in the hotter temperatures of the summer. Plus, in summer, we probably get a bit lax in our food safety behaviors, such as making certain that we're washing our hands and that we're keeping foods cold.
