Food poisoning

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Food poisoning This is an illness, which can
start one hour after eating contaminated food,
or it may take as long as 48 hours to develop.
Usually includes either vomiting or diarrhea,
or both. Food poisoning usually occurs when
microorganisms have been allowed to grow and
multiply in the food. Due primarily to toxins
produced by microorganisms Other sources of
toxins also common in foods
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NATURAL TOXINS Ciguatera poisoning Shellfish
toxins (PSP, DSP, NSP, ASP) Scombroid poisoning
Tetrodotoxin (Pufferfish) Mushroom toxins
Aflatoxins / Fusarium Toxins Pyrrolizidine
alkaloids Phytohaemagglutinin (Red kidney bean
poisoning) Grayanotoxin (Honey intoxication)
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Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

• Ciguatera is a form of human poisoning caused by
  the consumption of subtropical and tropical
  marine finfish which have accumulated naturally
  occurring toxins through their diet. The toxins
  are known to originate from several
  dinoflagellate (algae) species that are common to
  ciguatera endemic regions in the lower latitudes.
• Combination of gastrointestinal, neurological,
  and cardiovascular disorders. Symptoms vary with
  the geographic origin of toxic fish.
• Initial signs of poisoning occur within six hours
  after consumption of toxic fish and include
  perioral numbness and tingling (paresthesia),
  which may spread to the extremities, nausea,
  vomiting, and diarrhea.

Ciguatoxin
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Shellfish-Associated Toxins Shellfish poisoning
is caused by a group of toxins elaborated by
planktonic algae (mostly dinoflagellates) upon
which the shellfish feed. The toxins are
accumulated and sometimes metabolized by the
shellfish.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) The 20
toxins responsible for paralytic shellfish
poisonings (PSP) are all derivatives of
saxitoxin. Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP)
Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP) Amnesic
Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)
saxitoxin
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Scombroid Poisoning (also called Histamine
Poisoning)
Scombroid poisoning is caused by ingestion of
foods that contain high levels of histamine.
Histamine and other amines are formed by the
growth of certain bacteria and the subsequent
action of their enzymes on histidine and other
amino acids in food, either during the production
of a product such as Swiss cheese or by spoilage
of foods such as fishery products, particularly
tuna or mahi mahi.
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Tetrodotoxin Toxin produced by Puffer Fish and
relatives gonads, liver, intestines, and skin
can contain levels of tetrodotoxin sufficient to
produce rapid and violent death The metabolic
source of tetrodotoxin is uncertain.
                                             
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Mushroom toxins Several Types

• Amanitin, Gyromitrin, Orellanine, Muscarine,
  Ibotenic Acid, Muscimol, Psilocybin, Coprine
• Protoplasmic
• e.g. Amatoxins
• - Several mushroom species, including the Death
  Cap or Destroying Angel (Amanita phalloides)
• produce a family of cyclic octapeptides called
  amanitins
• Poisoning is characterized by a long latent
  period (range 6-48 hours, average 6-15 hours)
• Symptoms appear at the end of the latent period
• Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, watery diarrhea,
  extreme thirst
• Rapid and severe loss of strength, prostration,
  and pain-caused restlessness
• Death in 50-90 of the cases from progressive and
  irreversible liver, kidney, cardiac, and skeletal
  muscle damage may follow within 48 hours (large
  dose), but the disease more typically lasts 6 to
  8 days in adults and 4 to 6 days in children. Two
  or three days after the onset of the later phase,
  jaundice, cyanosis, and coldness of the skin
  occur. Death usually follows a period of coma and
  occasionally convulsions.
• Neurotoxic
• e.g. Psilocybin Poisoning hallucinogenic
  toxins
• basis for religious experiences
• Gastrointestinal

Psilocybin
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Aflatoxins / Fusarium Toxins
Aflatoxicosis is poisoning that results from
ingestion of aflatoxins in contaminated food or
feed. The aflatoxins are a group of
structurally related toxic compounds produced by
certain strains of the fungi Aspergillus flavus
and A. parasiticus. Under favorable conditions
of temperature and humidity, these fungi grow on
certain foods and feeds, resulting in the
production of aflatoxins. The most pronounced
contamination in tree nuts, peanuts, and other
oilseeds, including corn and cottonseed.
Aflatoxins produce acute necrosis, cirrhosis,
and carcinoma of the liver in a number of animal
species More common in US than Canada
Aflatoxin B1
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Fusarium sp
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DON (Deoxynivalenol)
T-2 Toxin
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Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Poisoning
alkaloid intoxication is caused by consumption of
plant material containing these alkaloids. The
plants may be consumed as food, for medicinal
purposes, or as contaminants of other
agricultural crops. E.g. Senecio tea (aster
relative) alkaloids find their way into flour
and other foods, including milk from cows feeding
on these plants
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Phytohaemagglutinin (lectin or hemagglutinin)
Red Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Poisoning,
Kinkoti Bean Poisoning, and possibly other names.
Other beans also onset time from consumption of
raw or undercooked kidney beans to symptoms
varies from between 1 to 3 hours. extreme
nausea, followed by vomiting, which may be very
severe. Diarrhea, abdominal pain. Some
persons have been hospitalized, but recovery is
usually rapid (3 - 4 h after onset of symptoms)
and spontaneous.
Phytohaemagglutinin
A protein toxin
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Several types of natural toxins Many foods
capable of producing toxins Be able to name
some of them, indicating source(s)
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