Information for Consumers About Food Poisoning in Home Canning, Preserving, Jam, Salsa Making, Etc. - Causes and Prevention
These pages provide basic facts regarding foodborne pathogenic
microorganisms and natural toxins related to home food preservation
(canning, bottling, drying, jams, salsas, pickling, sauces, etc.).
Look up any pathogen (botulism, salmonella, Staph, etc.) and find
out what it does and how to prevent it. The information was prepared
by the Food & Drug Administration, the Centers for
Disease Control & Prevention, the USDA Food Safety Inspection
Service, and the National Institutes of Health. And while I
certainly wouldn't trust my health or safety to the government (does
peanut butter ring a bell), their guidance is good. Do what
they say... not what they do!
Pathogenic bacteria in foods
- Clostridium botulinum - "Botulism" - This is a concern, especially in home-canned low acid foods
- Salmonella spp. - very common in poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.)
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Vibrio cholerae O1
- Vibrio cholerae non-O1
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus and other vibrios
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Clostridium perfringens
- Bacillus cereus
- Aeromonas hydrophila and other spp.
- Plesiomonas shigelloides
- Shigella spp.
- Miscellaneous enterics
- Streptococcus
E. Coli Bacteria - common on vegetables and meats that come in contact with manure or animal feces - Enterovirulent Escherinchia Coli Group (EEC Group)
- Escherichia coli - enterotoxigenic (ETEC)
- Escherichia coli - enteropathogenic (EPEC)
- Escherichia coli O157:H7 enterohemorrhagic (EHEC)
- Escherichia coli - enteroinvasive (EIEC)
Parasitic Microorganisms (Protozoa) and Worms
- Giardia lamblia
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Cryptosporidium parvum
- Cyclospora cayetanensis
- Anisakis sp. and related worms
- Diphyllobothrium spp.
- Nanophyetus spp.
- Eustrongylides sp.
- Acanthamoeba and other free-living amoebae
- Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura
Viruses
Natural Toxins (Not all that is "natural" is good for you!)
- Ciguatera poisoning
- Shellfish toxins (PSP, DSP, NSP, ASP)
- Scombroid poisoning
- Tetrodotoxin (Pufferfish)
- Mushroom toxins
- Aflatoxins
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- Phytohaemagglutinin (Red kidney bean poisoning)
- Grayanotoxin (Honey intoxication)
- Gempylotoxin (Gastrointestinal illness from consumption of Escolar and Oilfish)
Other Pathogens
- Prions (BSE, CJK - Mad Cow Disease)
Appendices
