Associated Foods

• Untreated or contaminated water
• Unpasteurized (“raw”) milk
• Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Fever, headache, and muscle pain followed by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain, and nausea. Symptoms appear 2 to 5 days after eating and may last 2 to 10 days. May spread to the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infection.

Associated Foods/Sources

• Swallowing contaminated water, including that from recreational sources (e.g., swimming pool or lake)
• Eating uncooked or contaminated food
• Placing a contaminated object in the mouth
• Soil, food, water, and contaminated surfaces

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Watery diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, stomach cramps or pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting; respiratory symptoms may also be present.
• Symptoms begin 7 to 10 days after becoming infected, and may last 2 to 14 days. In those with a weakened immune system, including older adults, symptoms may subside and return over weeks to months.

Associated Foods/ Sources

• Many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature and time and/or temperature abused foods.
• Meats, meat products, poultry, poultry products , and gravy

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Onset of watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps within about 16 hours. The illness usually begins suddenly and lasts for 12 to 24 hours. In elderly, symptoms may last 1 to 2 weeks.
• Complications and/or death occur only very rarely.

Listeria monocytogenes
Can grow slowly at refrigerator temperatures

Associated Foods

• Improperly reheated  hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry
• Unpasteurized (raw) milk and soft cheeses made with unpasteurized (raw) milk
• Smoked seafood and salads made in the store such as ham salad, chicken salad, or seafood salads
• Raw vegetables

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Fever, chills, headache, backache, sometimes upset stomach, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. May take up to 2 months to become ill.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms may appear within a few hours to 2 to 3 days, and disease may appear 2 to 6 weeks after ingestion. The duration is variable.
• Those at-risk (including older adults and others with weakened immune systems) may later develop more serious illness; death can result from this bacteria.
• Can cause problems with pregnancy, including miscarriage, fetal death, or severe illness or death in newborns.

Escherichia coli O157:H7
One of several strains of E. coli that can cause human illness

Associated Foods

• Undercooked beef, especially ground beef 
• Unpasteurized milk and juices, like “fresh” apple cider
• Contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, and water
• Person-to-person contact

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Severe diarrhea that is often bloody, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Usually little or no fever.
• Can begin 1 to 9 days after contaminated food is eaten and lasts about 2 to 9 days.
• Some, especially the very young, may develop hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), which cause acute kidney failure, and can lead to permanent kidney damage or even death.

Associated Foods

• Shellfish and fecally-contaminated foods or water
• Ready-to-eat foods touched by infected food workers; for example, salads, sandwiches, ice, cookies, fruit

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain usually start between 24 and 48 hours, but cases can occur within 12 hours of exposure. Symptoms usually last 12 to 60 hours.
• Diarrhea is more prevalent in adults and vomiting is more prevalent in children.

Salmonella (over 2,300 types)

Associated Foods

• Raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat
• Unpasteurized (raw) milk or juice
• Cheese and seafood
• Fresh fruits and vegetables

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Stomach pain, diarrhea (can be bloody), nausea, chills, fever, and/or headache usually appear 6 to 72 hours after eating; may last 4 to 7 days.
• In people with a weakened immune system, such as older adults, the infection may be more severe and lead to serious complications including death.

Associated Foods/Sources

• Accidental contact of cat feces through  touching hands to mouth after gardening, handling cats, cleaning cat’s litter box, or touching anything that has come in contact with cat feces.
• Raw or undercooked meat.

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Flu-like illness that usually appears 10 to 13 days after eating, may last months. Those with a weakened immune system, including older adults, may develop more serious illness.
• Can cause problems with pregnancy, including miscarriage and birth defects.

Associated Foods

• Undercooked or raw seafood (fish or shellfish)

Symptoms and Potential Impact

• Diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting may appear within 4 hours to several days and last 2 to 8 days. May result in a blood infection.  May result in death for those with a weakened immune system, including older adults and cancer or liver disease.