Major Foodborne Illnesses and Their Symptoms

Pathogen

Symptoms

Found in

Incubation Period

Campylobacter jejuni

Diarrhea, abdominal pain, vague feeling of depression or illness, fever, nausea, & vomiting

Raw and undercooked meat & poultry and raw milk & untreated water

1-10 days (usually 3-5)

Salmonella

Abdominal pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea

Raw and undercooked eggs, undercooked meat and poultry, dairy products, seafood, fruits, and vegetables

6-72 hours (usually 12-36)

E. coli 0157:H7

Diarrhea (ranging from mild and nonbloody to stools that are virtually all blood), no fever, complications and death could follow

Undercooked or raw meat, raw milk and produce, unpasteurized juices

3-8 days (usually 3-4)

Clostridium botulinum

Vertigo, visual disturbances, inability to swallow, paralysis

Improperly canned foods, herbal oils, baked potatoes, seal meat & oil, smoked salmon, fermented salmon eggs

12-72 hours

Listeria monocytogenes

Nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, intense headache, fever, chills, backache, delirium, coma, collapse, shock, and abortion in pregnant women

Unpasteurized milk & cheese, vegetables, poultry, meats, seafood

3-70 days (usually 21)

Shigella

Diarrhea, fever, chills, lassitude, dehydration

Potato, tuna, shrimp, turkey, macaroni, and other salads. Any food contaminated by hands, flies, and cross-contamination

12-96 hours (usually 24-72)

Staphylococcus aureus

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration

Ham, dairy products, potato salad

0.5-8 hours (usually 2-4)

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, ESAN Program, March 1999.