Host Microbe Interactions

By.
Dr. H. Satrijo Saloko
 Food Borne diseases

Poisoning Infections

Chemical poisoning intoxication enterotoxigenic invasive

poisonous poisonous microbial intoxications

Plant tissue animal tissue

Algae toxins mycotoxins bacterial toxins toxic metabolites

Enterotoxins neurotoxins interactions with carbohydrate

metabolism
What are Food-Borne Diseases?

People get sick with a food-borne disease when they

consume foods or beverages contaminated with
disease-causing microbes, chemicals, insects or other
harmful substances.

Bacteria, viruses and parasites cause most of these

diseases.

Toxins, poisons and chemicals can also contaminate

food and cause illness.
• Harmful substances in foods
Pathogens
• Bacteria, viruses, parasites
• Some common pathogens causing foodborne illness
– Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella,
Escherichia coli

Chemical contamination
• Pesticides
• Animal drugs
• Pollutants

Natural toxins
• Methyl mercury
• Poisonous plants
• Solanine
Major social impact of food
borne disease…
• Lost productivity time
– Days work/school
– Financial impact
• Risk of mortality
• Risk of transmission to family and others
The Food Pathogen Problem

• Estimates of foodborne disease in U.S./yr :

– 6.5 to 33 MILLION foodborne illnesses
– Up to 9,000 deaths
– Hospitalization costs -- > $3 billion
– Lost productivity -- > $9 billion
– Under-reported!
Adapted from: Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Foodborne
Pathogens: Risks and Consequences, 1994.
FDAs Rank of Areas of Concern
Most Dangerous
1. Microbial food illness
2. Naturally occurring toxins in foods
3. Residues in foods
– Environmental contaminants
– Pesticides
– Animal drugs, such as hormones, antibiotics
4. Food processing and nutrients in foods
Least Dangerous
5. Intentional Food Additives
6. Genetic modification of foods
Most food poisoning is caused by?

Bacteria
 Microbes and Food Safety
Symptoms of foodborne illness
– Diarrhea of more than 3 days’ duration
– Fever of longer than 24 hours duration
– Headache accompanied by muscle stiffness and
fever
– Numbness, muscle weakness, tingling sensations in
the skin
– Rapid heart rate, fainting, dizziness
Majority of food-poisoning cases
– Result of errors consumers make in handling foods
after purchase
– Commercially prepared food is “usually” safe
 Food Safety
– Raw meats can contain live, disease-causing
organisms
– Thorough cooking makes them safe
– In the mid-1990s a fast-food restaurant chain in the
Northwest served undercooked hamburgers from
meat contaminated with bacterium E. coli 0157:H7
• 4 people died
• 100s of patrons became seriously ill

As a result more Government Inspections and

Industry controls were set up through the
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
(HACCP) plan
 In order to grow and multiply germs need:

Time Moisture Food Warmth

Remember it like this

Too Many Flies Waiting

In ideal conditions where there is
Moisture, Food and Warmth
(37degrees centigrade is ideal),
bacteria can double every 10 to 20
minutes. They do this by dividing in
to two. This is called

Binary Fission
These cells are beginning to divide into two
After 10 minutes
After 20 minutes
After 30 minutes

After 40 minutes
 cooking chicken to a core temperature
Time : 9.30 Bacteria : 0 of 75°C should kill most of the bacteria

Time : 9.40 Bacteria : 12,000

Time : 9.50 Bacteria : 24,000 Knife
contaminated
Time : 10.00 Bacteria : 48,000 by blood

Time : 10.10 Bacteria : 96,000

Time : 10.20 Bacteria : 192,000
Time : 10.30 Bacteria : 384,000
Time : 10.40 Bacteria : 768,000
Time : 10.50 Bacteria : 1.5 million

From 0 to 1,536,000 in
only 80 minutes !!!!!!
Numbers Of Bacteria
Bacterial Growth Curve

Numbers of
bacteria
rapid Stationary Phase decrease
multiplication

Numbers of
no multiplication
bacteria remain
constant as the
number
produced is
equal to the
Lag Phase number dying

Time (hours)
Fig. 19-4, p. 669
 Bacteria and Temperature
HIGH 100
Campylobacter Cl botulinum A&B
Bacteria die if heated
Minimum for a sufficient time.
Growth Staph aureus
Cl perfringens The longer the time, the
Temp. E. coli greater the destruction
Salmonella
Cl botulinum E 63
Listeria
LOW Bacillus cereus 40

38
LOW HIGH
Heat resistance Bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria Grow
grow grow at slower
• Pathogenic bacteria grow best at human body quickly rate
temperature 37ºC. However the majority will grow
between 15-45ºC 36
• Non-sporing cells of bacteria are killed at 15
temperatures above 60ºC. The length of time
ranges depending on the organism 7

• Boiling kills living cells, but will not kill all

bacterial spores Bacteria stop growing,
4 but do not die
• Fridges should be set below 5ºC. Some bacteria
such as Listeria monocytogenes can grow
at refrigeration temperatures 0
 Salmonella Staphylococcus Clostridium
Found in animals, aureus perfingens
raw poultry and Found in human Found in animals
birds nose and throat and birds
(also skin)

Bacillus cereus Clostridium

Found in soil, botulinum
vegetation, Found in the soil
cereals and and associated
spices with vegetables
and meats
The diseases caused by foodborne
pathogens can be classified into three
forms:

foodborne infection

foodborne intoxication

foodborne toxicoinfection
Toxic bacterial food poisoning
Some bacteria grow in food and produce a
toxin within the food which is then consumed
e.g. Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus
aureus.

Other microorganisms in food may produce

harmful or deadly toxins while growing in the
intestinal tract e.g. Clostridium perfringens,
enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and
enterohaemorrhagic E. coli
Infective bacterial food poisoning
infections occur when pathogens are
ingested via contaminated food and the
bacteria is established in the body, usually
growing inside the intestinal tract and
irritating intestines e.g. Salmonella spp. and
Campylobacter jejuni.
Intoxication

Ingestion of preformed toxins such as

Staphylococcal enterotoxin, Botulinum toxin,
Bacillus cereus toxin, and seafood toxins results in
food poisoning or Intoxication.
Microorganisms present in foods will grow under
favorable conditions and produce toxins in the food.
Toxicoinfection
Some bacteria cause toxicoinfection, which occurs when
ingested bacteria first colonize the mucosal surface and
then produce exotoxins in the intestine.

Toxins can induce toxic effects on the local cells or

tissues and in some cases toxins enter blood stream
and induce disease. Examples include cholera toxin
produced by V. cholerae
 Toxins
Some bacteria release poisons known as
toxins which cause food poisoning.
Some toxins, known as exotoxins multiply in
food. These toxins are not easily destroyed by
cooking and may remain in food once they
have developed.
Other bacteria produce toxins inside the
human body only after the food has been
eaten. These are called endotoxins
 Salmonella
• Sources - The intestines of ill people and
carriers, animals and animal food, raw
meat, raw poultry, raw milk, raw eggs, food
pests
• Common food vehicles – Undercooked or
contaminated cooked meat, raw milk and
eggs
• Onset period – 6 to 72 hours (usually 12 to
36) Endotoxin in intestine (infective food
poisoning)
 Salmonella
• Symptoms - Abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
vomiting and fever. Duration is usually one to
seven days.
• Specific characteristics – Usually requires
millions of bacteria to cause illness. Multiplies
from 5°C to 47°C under aerobic or anaerobic
conditions.
 Clostridium perfingens
• Sources - The intestines of humans
and animals, faeces and sewage, soil
food pests, raw meat and poultry
• Common food vehicles – Rolled joints,
casseroles, stews, sauces and meat
pies when cooking has removed oxygen
• Onset period – 8 to 22 hours (usually
12 to 18) Enterotoxin in intestine.
(infective food poisoning)
 Clostridium perfingens
• Symptoms - Abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
(vomiting is rare) and fever. Duration is usually
12 to 48 hours.
• Specific characteristics – Usually requires
millions of bacteria to cause illness. Multiplies
from 10°C to 52°C under anaerobic conditions.
At 46°C it can double every 10 minutes.
Produces spores. Illness caused from
consuming millions of organisms
 Staphylococcus aureus
• Sources - Human nose, mouth, skin,
hands, spots, boils, septic cuts etc
• Common food vehicles – Dairy
products. Cold cooked meat and
poultry, peeled cooked prawns
• Onset period – 1 to 7 hours (usually 12
to 18) Exotoxin produced in food. (Toxic
food poisoning)
 Staphylococcus aureus
• Symptoms - Abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
vomiting. Occasionally subnormal temperatures.
Duration between 6 and 24 hours.
• Specific characteristics – Usually requires
millions of bacteria to cause illness. Toxin may
survive boiling for up to 30 minutes. Multiplies
from 7°C to 48°C under aerobic or anaerobic
conditions. Can tolerate relatively high salt
content.
 Bacillus cereus
• Sources - Cereals, especially rice,
cornflour, spices, dust and soil
• Common food vehicles – Reheated
rice, cornflour and spices.
• Onset period – 1 to 5 hours. Exotoxin
produced in food. (Toxic food poisoning)
 Bacillus cereus
• Symptoms - Abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
vomiting. Occasionally subnormal temperatures.
Duration between 12 and 24 hours.
• Specific characteristics – Forms spores which
produce an exotoxin under aerobic or anaerobic
conditions. Both the spores and toxin will
survive normal cooking temperatures. Millions
required to cause illness. Bacteria multiply
between 7°C and 48°C.
 Clostridium botulinum
• Sources - Fish intestine, soil and
vegetables.
• Common food vehicles – Low acid
processed food contaminated after canning or
vacuum packing. Smoked fish, bottled
vegetables.
• Onset period –2 hours to 5 days (usually 12
to 36 hours). A heat sensitive neurotoxin
produced in the food which affects the
nervous system. (Toxic food poisoning)
 Clostridium botulinum
• Symptoms - Difficulties in swallowing, talking
and breathing. Double vision and paralysis.
Diarrhoea followed by constipation. Fatalities
are common and survivors may take several
months to recover.
• Specific characteristics – Forms spores which
produce an exotoxin under anaerobic
conditions. Both the spores and toxin will
survive normal cooking temperatures. Millions
required to cause illness. Bacteria multiply
between 3.3°C and 48°C.
Pathogenic Bacteria Source Symptoms Average Onset Time

Raw meat
Poultry and eggs Vomiting 12 - 36 hours after
Pests and pets Nausea eating
Salmonella Diarrhoea
Human and animal intestines
Dirt and refuse Abdominal pain

Human nose, throat, ears, Vomiting

Staphylococcus
skin Abdominal pain 1 – 7 hours after
aureus Septic wounds Low temperature eating
Animals and raw milk

Raw meat and poultry Diarrhoea

Clostridium 12 - 18 hours after
Soil, dirt and refuse Abdominal pain
perfingens Raw vegetables eating
Pests and pets
Human and animal intestines

Soil Paralysis
Clostridium Marine sediment Breathing and swallowing 12 – 36 hours after
botulinum Raw fish and meat difficulty eating
Animal intestines Diarrhoea followed by
constipation

Nausea 1 - 5 hours or 8 –
Bacillus cereus Dust and soil Vomiting 16 hours
Cereal, rice and pasta Abdominal pain depending on the
Diarrhoea form of the food
poisoning
Campylobacter Escherichia Coli Listeriosis
enteritis 0157

That’s the end of this lesson...!

Typhoid and paratyphoid

Dysentery
fever