Is it food poisoning?

ABSTRACT

Food borne infections and intoxications, typically manifesting as gastroenteritis, are a common community acquired illness in Australia. For infants, immunocompromised people, pregnant women and the elderly, food borne illness can be fatal. Food borne illness can be difficult to distinguish from illness transmitted by other routes, but specific pathogens, clinical syndromes, and epidemiological clues suggest possible 'food poisoning'. Management is usually supportive, but investigations provide information of public health value. Persons with gastroenteritis should be given simple advice to reduce the risk of transmitting infection to others, and educated about how enteric infections may be spread from infected persons and animals, and from food.