Difference between food infection and intoxication
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Answer:
foodborne illness can be the result of infection or intoxication. Some bacteria, and all viruses and parasites cause illness through infection, which occurs when live pathogens ingested by a person multiply within a person's digestive track and cause the symptoms associated with foodborne illness. The period between the ingestion of pathogens and the development of symptoms can range from less than a day to several days to a few weeks.
On the other hand, intoxication occurs from eating a food that contains a toxin, either manufactured or naturally occurring. In general, symptoms due to foodborne intoxication appear more quickly than those due to foodborne infection. Unlike most pathogens, most toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing. A notable exception is the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, which can be destroyed by heating at 80°C for 10 minutes or longer. An example of a naturally occurring toxin is Saxitoxin, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning from red tide (shown to the right).
Another toxin that can cause illness is ciguatera toxin, which can result from eating certain reef fishes, such as grouper or barracuda, which have become contaminated. Toxins can also be found in mushrooms and formed as by-products from the growth of some bacteria. Manufactured toxins include many chemicals used in food service establishments or toxic metals such as copper, tin, or zinc.
There is a third classification of foodborne illness, toxin-mediated infection. A toxin-mediated infection can occur when a person eats food containing certain strains of bacteria that produce toxins while inside of the intestinal tract. Examples of bacteria that cause toxin-mediated infection include Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens.