Food Poisoning

Abstract

IN the broadest sense, food poisoning includes all illnesses arising from the ingestion of food, — food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria or their products, with nematodes or fungi, with chemical poisons and with poisonous plants and food poisonous in itself, — illnesses with a complete range of symptoms and of a great variety of causes. Various groups for various reasons choose to limit the definition according to their interests and preferences. The term is limited by some to acute gastroenteritis caused by ingestion of food or drink containing either bacteria capable of initiating an acute inflammatory reaction of the alimentary . . .