doing enough today to protect the American people from food borne pathogens and illness? One can not open any newspaper or magazine or watch a television program with out hearing of E coli or salmonella or Mad cow disease. .
Many animal rights advocates would like you to believe that beef and milk products are the only culprits responsible for these ailments. E coli and Salmonella can both be traced in many cases to eggs, fish, and vegetables. All of the food we eat in America is at risk for some form of food borne pathogen. .
First lets look at some of the major food borne pathogens and illnesses found in the United States food supply. .
E. coli O157:H7 is one of many strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals; this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness (Center for disease Control and Prevention web site). E coli is more often than not contracted from eating improperly cooked ground beef, but can also be contracted from consuming lettuce and sprouts (CDC web site). The CDC recommends cooking all ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, not ingesting water while swimming, and washing hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or changing children's diapers will all help prevent you from contracting E coli O157:H7. .
Salmonella enteritidis is a bacterium found in the intestinal tract of many birds and mammals. S.enteritidis is more often than not caused by eating an infected egg (CDC web site). In the past eggs where infected by fecal contamination on eggs after they where laid. Today eggs are disinfected and it is uncommon to catch salmonella form a disinfected and intact egg. Today Salmonella infects eggs by infiltrating the ovaries of a healthy hen. These hens are rare and are mainly found in the North east part of the country. These infected hens can lay many health eggs and very few that are infected with the S.