What is staphylococcal food poisoning?
Food poisoning is a problem in which something you eat gives you diarrhea and makes you throw up. Staphylococci are a type of bacteria (germs). So, staphylococcal food poisoning is when you get sick from eating food that has this kind of bacteria growing in it. The bacteria make toxins (poisons). It's these toxins rather than the bacteria that make you sick.
Other kinds of bacteria also can cause food poisoning. For example, clostridial food poisoning is caused by bacteria called clostridia.
Foods that can give you staphylococcal food poisoning may smell and taste normal. Many foods can cause staphylococcal food poisoning, particularly foods that were:
Food poisoning is a lot like gastroenteritis. But in gastroenteritis, germs in the food grow inside your belly and make you sick. Those germs don't make poisons.
What are the symptoms of staphylococcal food poisoning?
Symptoms usually start very suddenly 2 to 8 hours after eating and include:
Symptoms usually last about 12 hours. They go away as quickly as they came. However, if you don’t drink enough fluids, you may feel weak for a while longer.
Staphylococcal food poisoning can be life-threatening for babies and young children, very old adults, and people with long-term health problems.
