Food poisoning - Symptoms, Causes, Images, and Treatment Options

Diseases

Highlights & Basics

Key Highlights

Food poisoning is typically mild, self-limiting, and improves with supportive nonspecific symptomatic treatments.
Most patients present with gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain or cramps, nausea and vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
Foodborne disease outbreak is a cluster of at least two people with the same symptoms following ingestion of the same contaminated food or drink.
Some foodborne diseases and conditions are notifiable at a national level.

Quick Reference

History & Exam
- Key Factors
- Other Factors
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Diagnostics Tests
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Treatment Options
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Definition

Epidemiology

Etiology

Pathophysiology

Citations

Key Articles

American Medical Association, American Nurses Association/American Nurses Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Diagnosis and management of foodborne illnesses: a primer for physicians and other health care professionals. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2004 Apr 16;53(RR-4):1-33.[Abstract][Full Text]
World Health Organization. Foodborne disease outbreaks: guidelines for investigation and control. 2008 [internet publication].[Full Text]
Public Health England. UK Standards for microbiology investigations S 7: gastroenteritis. Oct 2020 [internet publication].[Full Text]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food safety. Aug 2023 [internet publication].[Full Text]
Shane AL, Mody RK, Crump JA, et al. 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Nov 29;65(12):e45-80.[Abstract][Full Text]

Other Online Resources

UK Health Security Agency: notifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report
CDC: how to report a foodborne illness - healthcare professionals
CDC: food safety
Fight Bac! Partnership for Food Safety Education
US Government Food Safety Information

Referenced Articles

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