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Article: Bacterial bashings; Simple rules to avoid food poisoning
- Article from:
- The Press
- Article date:
- February 19, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 The Press. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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KATHRYN McNEIL has a close look at tiny organisms that can cause
big trouble.
Yersinia, listeria, salmonella, campylobacter, shigella, and E.
coli sound like evil characters in a sci-fi movie. They are in fact
bacteria commonly found in food, and they bring the misery of food
poisoning to thousands of New Zealanders every year.
When these food fiends run riot in the human gut they cause
indescribable discomfort, with symptoms including excruciating
stomach cramps, vomiting, and chronic diarrhoea. These symptoms are
familiar to most of us. The food-borne bacteria are sly
opportunists, invisible to the naked eye, yet strangely photogenic
when magnified under an electron microscope. They sneak ...