Bacteria and Viruses

• Diarrheal: 6-15 hours
• Emetic (vomiting): 30 minutes to 6 hours

• Diarrheal: Watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps
• Emetic (vomiting): Nausea and vomiting

• If food is to be stored longer than two hours, keep hot foods hot (over 140°F (60°C) and cold foods cold (40°F (4°C) or under)
• Store cooked food in a wide, shallow container and refrigerate as soon as possible.

• Infants: Honey and products containing honey, such as infant pacifiers filled with or dipped in honey.
• Infants, children and adults: Improperly home-canned or preserved foods, including low-acid vegetables and fermented fish; improperly canned commercial foods; herb-infused oils, baked potatoes in aluminum foil, cheese sauce, bottled garlic.

• Infants: 3-30 days
• Children and adults: 18-36 hours

• Infants: Lethargy, poor feeding, constipation, weak crying, poor muscle tone (appear "floppy").
• Children and adults: Double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness.

• Follow safe home canning instructions provided by the National Center for Home Preservation.
• Consult with your local Cooperative Extension Service. Most offices have a food safety specialist that can help home canning advice.
• Do not feed honey or give honey pacifiers to children younger than 12 months.

Drink plenty of fluids and get rest. If you cannot drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration or if your symptoms are severe, call your doctor.

Antibiotics are recommended only for patients who are very ill or are more likely to develop a serious illness, such as people with weakened immune systems.

• Drink pasteurized milk. Do not drink raw milk.
• Do not drink untreated water.

• Thoroughly cook foods, particularly meat, poultry, and gravies, to a safe internal temperature.
• Use a food thermometer to make sure.
• Keep food hot after cooking (at 140°F (60°C) or above) and serve meat dishes hot, within 2 hours after cooking.
• Microwave leftovers thoroughly (to 165°F (74°C) or above).
• Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation (at 40°F (4°C) or below).
• Divide large amounts of food, such as roasts or big pots of chili or stew, into shallow containers and refrigerate immediately. It is OK to put hot foods directly in the refrigerator.

• Contaminated food, especially undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized (raw) milk and juice, soft cheeses made from raw milk, and raw fruits and vegetables (such as lettuce, other leafy greens, and sprouts).
• Contaminated water, including drinking untreated water and swimming in contaminated water.
• Animals and their environment, particularly cows, sheep, and goats.
• Feces of infected people.

3 to 4 days for most people, can be 1 to 10 days

• Severe diarrhea that is often bloody, severe stomach pain, and vomiting. Usually little or no fever is present.
• Symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) include decreased urine production, dark or tea-colored urine, and losing pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids.

• Avoid eating high-risk foods, especially undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or juice, soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, or sprouts.
• Use a food thermometer to make sure that ground beef has reached a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
• Wash hands before, during, and after preparing food, after diapering infants, and after contact with cows, sheep, or goats, their food or treats, or their living environment.

• Avoid eating raw oysters or other raw or undercooked shellfish.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, particularly after using the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before, during, and after preparing food.
• Vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis A. Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for:
  • All children at age 1 year
  • People with direct contact with others who have hepatitis A
  • People with chronic or long-term liver disease
  • People with clotting-factor disorders
  • Travelers to countries where hepatitis A is common
  • Men who have sexual encounters with other men
  • People who use or inject drugs
  • People experiencing homelessness

• Unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products.
• Soft cheese made with unpasteurized milk, such as queso fresco, feta, Brie, Camembert.
• Raw fruits and vegetables (such as sprouts).
• Ready-to-eat deli meats and hot dogs.
• Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads.
• Refrigerated smoked seafood.

Listeria can cause fever and diarrhea similar to other foodborne germs, but this type of Listeria infection is rarely diagnosed.

Symptoms in people with invasive listeriosis, meaning the bacteria has spread beyond the gut, include:

• For pregnant women: fever, fatigue and muscle aches. Pregnant women may also have no symptoms but experience fetal death, pre-term labor, or infection of the newborn.
• For all others, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches.

• Adults age 65 and older
• Pregnant women and their newborns
• People whose immune systems are weakened due to illness or medical treatment

Recommendations for everyone:

• Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk, and do not eat soft cheeses made with it, such as queso fresco.
• Eat cut melon right away or refrigerate it.

Recommendations for people at higher risk:

• People at higher risk should not eat the following foods:
  • Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads from a deli or meat counter or from the refrigerated section of a store
  • Hot dogs, cold cuts, and deli meats, unless they are heated to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot before eating.
  • Refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is canned or shelf-stable or it is in a cooked dish, such as a casserole
  • Raw or lightly cooked sprouts of any kind
  • Soft cheese, such as queso fresco, queso blanco, panela, brief, Camembert, blue-veined, or feta, unless labeled as made with pasteurized milk
• Be aware that Hispanic-style cheeses made from pasteurized milk, such as queso fresco, have caused Listeria infections, most likely because they were contaminated during cheese-making. Safer choices, especially for pregnant women, include cream cheese, mozzarella, and hard cheeses.

• Wash hands frequently with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, particularly after using the bathroom and before, during, and after preparing food.
• If you work in a restaurant or deli, avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces contaminated by vomit or diarrhea (use a bleach-based household cleaner as directed on the label). Clean and disinfect food preparation equipment and surfaces.
• If you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting and for two days afterwards, do not cook, prepare, or serve food for others.
• Wash fruits and vegetables and cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them.
• Wash clothing or linens soiled by vomit or fecal matter immediately. Remove the items carefully to avoid spreading the virus. Machine wash and dry.

Food: A variety of foods have been linked to Salmonella, including vegetables, chicken, pork, fruits, nuts, eggs, beef and sprouts.

Animals and their environments: Particularly reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards), amphibians (frogs), birds (baby chicks) and pet food and treats.

Drink plenty of fluids and get rest. If you cannot drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration or if your symptoms are severe, call your doctor.

Antibiotics are recommended only for patients who have a serious illness (such as severe diarrhea, high fever, or bloodstream infection), or are more likely to develop a severe illness or complications (infants, adults over 65 years old, and people with weakened immune systems).

• Avoid eating high-risk foods, including raw or lightly cooked eggs, undercooked ground beef or poultry, and unpasteurized (raw) milk.
• Wash your hands after contact with animals, their food or treats, or their living environment.

• Wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before preparing foods or beverages.
• Stay home from healthcare, food service, or childcare jobs while sick or until your health department says it's safe to return.
• Keep children with diarrhea out of child care settings and school while they are ill.
• Dispose of soiled diapers properly.
• Disinfect diaper changing areas after using them.
• Supervise handwashing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet.
• Do not prepare food for others while ill with diarrhea
• Avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes, or untreated pools.
• Avoid having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) for one week after you no longer have diarrhea.
• When traveling in developing countries, drink only treated or boiled water, and eat only cooked hot foods or fruits you peel yourself.

• Use a food thermometer and cook foods to their safe minimum internal temperature.
• Keep hot foods hot (140°F (60°C) or hotter) and cold foods cold (40°F (4°C) or colder).
• Store cooked food in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s hotter than 90°F (32°C) outside).
• Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating.
• Do not prepare food if you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting.
• Wear gloves while preparing food if you have wounds or infections on your hands or wrists.

• Vibrio wound infection: 1–7 days
• Gastrointestinal illness: 2–48 hours

• In healthy people: Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• In high-risk people: Sudden chills, fever, shock, skin lesions

• Don’t eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. Cook them before eating.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish.
• Avoid contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish and its juices.
• Stay out of salt water or brackish water if you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if there's a possibility it could come into contact with salt water or brackish water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water if they have been exposed to seawater or raw seafood or its juices.

If you are in a group more likely to get a Vibrio infection, such as people with liver disease:

• Wear clothes and shoes that can protect you from cuts and scrapes when in salt water or brackish water.
• Wear protective gloves when handling raw seafood.