FOOD POISONING

also called (incorrectly) Ptomaine Poisoning, acute gastrointestinal illness resulting from the consumption of foods containing one or more representatives of three main groups of harmful agents: natural poisons present in certain plants and animals, chemical poisons contaminating foods, and microorganisms (mainly bacteria) and their toxic secretions. In 1870 an Italian toxicologist, Francesco Selmi, coined the term ptomaine (from Greek ptoma, corpse) poisoning, in reference to the foul smell associated with both putrefying food and decomposing corpses; the term is wholly unscientific because ptomaines, formed by the action of bacteria on nitrogenous matter, are now known to be caused by several different kinds of organic bases, some harmless and some toxic. The majority of cases of acute food poisoning are caused by bacteria (see salmonellosis) and their toxic products (see botulism). Among the chemical poisons contaminating foods are certain heavy metals used in fungicides and insecticides (see mercury poisoning). Instances of metal poisoning may sometimes be traced to the serving or preparation of acidic fruits (e.g., lemonade) in certain cookware or vessels (see antimony poisoning; cadmium poisoning). Various food additives and preservatives, though generally innocuous on a short-term basis, may exert a cumulative toxic effect when ingested over a long period. The more common poisonous plants and animals that cause food poisoning in humans include certain varieties of mussels and clams (see shellfish poisoning); ocean and freshwater fish (see fish poisoning); fungi (see mushroom poisoning); plants (e.g., water hemlock; rhubarb greens); and nuts (e.g., akee nuts), seeds (e.g., tung seeds), and beans (e.g., Vicia fava).