Following are the main types of bacteria, protoza and viruses that cause food illness:
- Botulism - Found in a considerable variety of improperly canned or home-canned foods such as corn, greenbeans, soups, beets,asparagus, mushrooms, tuna, and liver paté. Also found in luncheon meats,ham,sausage, garlic in oil, and smoked and salted fish.
- Campylobacteriosis- Bacteria on poultry,cattle, and sheep can contaminate meat and milk of these animals.Chief food sources: raw poultry, meat, and unpasteurized milk.
- E. coli - Bacteria in meat, raw milk, contaminated water, unpasteurized ciders and juices, and on produce.
- Listeriosis - Found in soft cheese, unpasteurized milk, raw or undercooked meat, hot dogs, poultry and fish; and ready-to-eat foods like luncheonmeats, cold cuts, fermented and dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry.
- Perfringens -In most instances,caused by failure to keep food hot. A few organisms are often present after cooking and multiply to toxic levels during slow cool-down and storage of prepared foods. Meats and meat products are most frequently implicated.
- Salmonellosis -Raw meats, poultry,eggs, milk and other dairy products, shrimp,frog legs, fresh produce,sprouts, unpasteruized orange juice, coconut, chocolate, and foods containing raw eggs.
- Shigellosis -Food becomes contaminated when a human carrier does not wash hands after using the toilet and then handles liquid or moist food that is not cooked thoroughly afterwards.
- Staphylococcal foodborne illness - Toxin produced when food contaminated with the bacteria is left too long unrefrigerated. Meats, ham, poultry, egg products, tuna,potato and macaroni salads, and cream-filled pastries are good environments for these bacteria to produce toxin.
- Vibrio infection - The bacteria live in coastal waters and can infect humans either through open wounds or through consumption of raw contaminated seafood (oysters, clams,etc).
- Cyclosporiasis -Source is unknown, but it’s suspected that parasites in the water that is used to apply pesticides to crops contaminate foods such as berries, other fruit, raw vegetables, and basil.
- Cryptosporidiosis - Generally associated with parasites in sewage, contaminated water that gets on food, and not washing hands after using the toilet.
- Giardiasis - Most frequently associated with consumption of contaminated water, including that in swimming pools. May be transmitted by uncooked foods that become contaminated while growing or after cooking by infected foodworkers.
- Hepatitis A - Mollusks (oysters,clams, mussels, and cockles) become contaminated when their beds are polluted by untreated sewage. Raw shellfish are especially susceptible, although cooking does not always kill the virus.
- Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses - Sources of contamination include human feces, raw shellfish from polluted waters, and ready-to-eat foods (salads, sandwiches) prepared by an infected person.