Also known as VTEC, Escherichia Coli 0157 is a bacterial infection that can cause gastroenteritis. E. coli 0157 is a bacteria usually found inside the human intestine and the feces and gut of animals, especially cattle. While there are many species of Escherichia Coli infection, 0157:H7 is the most dangerous one as it leads to symptoms like vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and acute kidney failure in severe cases. People at a higher risk of getting infected with E. coli 0157 include newborns, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with a weakened immune system (those suffering from diabetes, cancer, and HIV). Keep reading the article to learn more about the E. coli 0157 infection.

Hepatitis A is a contagious infection that affects the liver and spreads through the consumption of contaminated food and water. Hep A Virus (HAV) can cause swelling and inflammation in the liver, resulting in a build-up of waste products in your tissues and bloodstream.

This past year, illness has taken on a new meaning altogether. The wide range of COVID-19 symptoms can leave you thinking that any sense of sickness can be attributed to the virus. With symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, it may be difficult to decipher if your symptoms are a result of COVID-19, the “stomach flu,” or a case of food poisoning. For many, COVID-19 poses a serious risk to themselves or their elderly loved ones, which is why it is critical to know why you are experiencing your symptoms and if your condition is contagious. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is always advisable to seek out proper testing to rule out COVID-19, but there is no definitive test for the stomach flu or food poisoning. Luckily, there are a few differences that can help you determine what the real driver of your symptoms is.

Symptom Differences

While the stomach flu and food poisoning share the symptoms of stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, there is one key difference between the two: the length of the symptoms. The stomach flu is a quick illness and its symptoms only last one to two days, but food poisoning symptoms can last for several days. Those who have the stomach flu are contagious for one to five days, with symptoms appearing for 24 to 48 hours. Food poisoning, though, has symptoms that linger for days on end. The stomach flu is also much more common in the fall and winter months, whereas food poisoning can happen any time of the year.

The Causes

Another way that you can attempt to narrow down what you have is by looking back at your interactions over the past few days. The stomach flu is transmitted from person to person, so if you have a friend or family member who is also feeling under the weather, they may have passed it on to you. If, however, you went out to eat with this person and you both got sick simultaneously, food poisoning may be the culprit. Food poisoning is caused by bacteria in food, typically undercooked meat or improperly washed vegetables. Thus, the meal that you had out last night may have been contaminated and led to your upset stomach. 

As deer hunting season begins in the state of Illinois, a recent study reveals concerning information about the consumption of venison after hunting these animals. For some, hunting is about the game, without the expectation of eating the animal afterwards. For others, the meal that comes from the recreational activity is the primary driver behind participating in deer hunting. With over 75,400 deer harvested in the 2019-2020 season, many Illinoisans are participating in the activity, potentially risking contracting a form of food poisoning in the process.

Lead Poisoning Found in Deer Meat

A recently published study, authored by two Illinois Wesleyan University faculty members and a Bloomington veterinarian, revealed significant traces of lead contamination in shotgun-harvested deer. The researchers measured lead concentrations in ground venison packets from deer that were harvested in Illinois in 2013 and 2014. It was found that nearly 50 percent of the packets tested positive for lead contamination, with some even containing lead fragments. The researchers attribute the contamination to lead shotgun ammunition, a common form of ammunition that is used while hunting deer. 

According to the study, there is no recognized safe level of lead intake, meaning any consumption of the substance can be toxic. In order to avoid consuming toxic substances, hunters should seek out non-lead ammunition before hunting. However, even if you take the viable measures to avoid using lead ammunition, meat processing plants could lead you astray. The authors from the study noted that 60 percent of the meat processing plants in Illinois admitted to mixing meat from different animals into their ground venison products, making it impossible to be sure that what you are consuming was not harvested with lead ammunition.

For some people, nut butters can be a matter of life and death simply due to food allergies. These allergies can cause extreme reaction such as shortness of breath, swelling, and in severe cases, even death. In recent months, there has been an entirely different reason why some people are avoiding these creamy spreads. Several nut butters on the market have been recalled due to the possibility of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

Because these products have a long shelf life, there is a good possibility that you may have one of these products sitting on your pantry shelf right now. Listeria contamination in products that are ready to eat can cause serious illness and food poisoning because the consumer does not heat them to kill the pathogens before consuming.

What is Listeria Monocytogenes?