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Related information. Contamination can also occur at home if food is incorrectly handled or cooked. Food poisoning symptoms, which can start within hours of eating contaminated food, often include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Most often, food poisoning is mild and resolves without treatment. But some people need to go to the hospital. Food poisoning symptoms vary with the source of contamination. Most types of food poisoning cause one or more of the following signs and symptoms:. Signs and symptoms may start within hours after eating the contaminated food, or they may begin days or even weeks later.
Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days. Contamination of food can happen at any point of production: growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping or preparing. Cross-contamination — the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another — is often the cause. This is especially troublesome for raw, ready-to-eat foods, such as salads or other produce. Because these foods aren't cooked, harmful organisms aren't destroyed before eating and can cause food poisoning.
Many bacterial, viral or parasitic agents cause food poisoning. The following table shows some of the possible contaminants, when you might start to feel symptoms and common ways the organism is spread. Whether you become ill after eating contaminated food depends on the organism, the amount of exposure, your age and your health.
High-risk groups include:. The most common serious complication of food poisoning is dehydration — a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals.
If you're a healthy adult and drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration shouldn't be a problem. Infants, older adults and people with suppressed immune systems or chronic illnesses may become severely dehydrated when they lose more fluids than they can replace. In that case, they may need to be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluids.
Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Food poisoning or foodborne illness can affect anyone who eats food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or other substances, but certain people are more likely to get sick or to have a serious illness.
If you or someone you care for are included in one of these groups, follow our four basic steps to food safety and the additional tips included below. Clean : Wash hands and surfaces often. Separate : Separate raw meat and poultry from ready-to-eat food.
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