question about food poisoning?

Question

how is the disease transmitted and how does the bacteria affect a host at the level of the cell? which cells are affected!!

please!! i really need the answers of these questions!!!!!!

thank you in advance!!!!

Answer 1

Ok, the answers to these questions is long so I will try to keep it as short as possbile.

Food poisoning can be caused by a variety of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc). Food poisoning is attributed to the consumption of contaminated foods such as poultry, beef, pork, eggs, milk, seafood, nut products and fresh produce. This list in not all inclusive as any food product may be contaminated with bacteria/virues/etc. Since you ask about bacteria in you question, I'll address mainly bacterial strategies.


The primary route of infection is fecal-oral transmission of the organisms. In order to reach their sites of colonization, the infectious agent must be able to survive the antimicrobial properties of the stomach, including the low pH and presence of many organic acids. Many bacteria and virues have evolved mechanisms that allow for survival at low pH.

Bacteria entering via the fecal-oral route that survive the low pH environment of the stomach are able to colonization multiple sites including the small intestine, colon, and cecum. Intestinal adhesion occurs with fimbriae or pili present on the bacterial cell surface which allows for the bacterium to attach to epithelial cells of the intestinal tract.

Once the bacterium is attached, it can employ many strategies that are harmful to you. Some of these include production of toxins which disrupt the cell lining of the intestinal tract. Other bacteria have gene whose products allow for invasion into the epithelial lining, causing destruction of said lining. Other mechanisms include the attraction of neutrophils to the site of infections and alteration of ion balances. The alteration of ion balances within the cells can lead to fluid secretion into the intestinal tract and subsequent diarrhea.

Again, this is just a (very) short summary. The full answers to these questions is so large, it would fill a text book.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Food poisoning has a lot of causes. Not all are bacterial (some are chemical, toxin, viral, etc), and
they all have different pathologies.

Let's take the example of vibriosis (caused by various species of bacteria genus Vibrio).

Gastrointestinal vibriosis causes profuse watery diarrhea. The bacteria affects the cGMP pathway and selectively causes cell membrane channels to open, resulting in water leaving the intestinal epithelial cells. That's a "simplified" explanation. But if you read up on the cellular pathology of cholera, it'll give you a better understanding.

Suppose you ate a poisonous mushroom, like the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides). This mushroom contains a chemical called phalloidin. It destroys RNA polymerase 2, an enzyme necessary for protein production. Without it, your liver will fail and you will die within a week if you don't get a liver transplant.