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Staphylococcal Food Poisoning

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Staphylococcal Food Poisoning

Young African American female in acute stomach pain

Image by Sora Shimazaki/Pexels

What Is

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

What Is Staph Food Poisoning?

Staph food poisoning is a gastrointestinal illness caused by eating foods contaminated with toxins produced by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) bacteria.

About 25% of people and animals have Staph on their skin and in their nose. It usually does not cause illness in healthy people, but Staph has the ability to make toxins that can cause food poisoning.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Additional Materials (7)

Interaction of a white blood cell with MRSA

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally colorized, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts a number of yellow-colored, spheroid shaped, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria in a chain-like configuration, which were in the process of being ingested by a type of white blood cell (WBC) known as a neutrophil, that was colored blue.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria

Scanning electron micrograph of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (gold) outside a white blood cell (blue).

Image by NIAID

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria SEM

Under a high magnification of 20,000X, this digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image shows a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria taken from a vancomycin intermediate resistant culture (VISA). See PHIL 11156 for a black and white version of image.

Image by CDC/ Matthew J. Arduino, DRPH; Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning

Template for en:Template:Food safety

Image by GNOME icon artists; Pbroks13 (talk)

Antimicrobial Resistance

Figure in review article from Plos One Pathogens on agricultural spread of antimicrobial resistance. Caption: Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a growing public health concern, but tracing the origins of the bacterium is complicated."

Image by Tara C. Smith

Staphylococcal Gastroenteritis - Food Poisoning, Pathophysiology and Management

Video by Drbeen Medical Lectures/YouTube

Dangers of Staph food poisoning

Video by News 8 WROC/YouTube

Interaction of a white blood cell with MRSA

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria

NIAID

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria SEM

CDC/ Matthew J. Arduino, DRPH; Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning

GNOME icon artists; Pbroks13 (talk)

Antimicrobial Resistance

Tara C. Smith

6:43

Staphylococcal Gastroenteritis - Food Poisoning, Pathophysiology and Management

Drbeen Medical Lectures/YouTube

2:41

Dangers of Staph food poisoning

News 8 WROC/YouTube

Key Facts

Staphylococcus aureus

Image by USDA/Eric Erbe, Christopher Pooley

Staphylococcus Aureus and Staphylococcal (Staph) Food Poisoning

Sources	People who carry the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), which is commonly found on the skin, can contaminate food if they don't wash their hands before touching it. Foods that are not cooked after handling, such as sliced meats, puddings, pastries, and sandwiches, are especially risky if contaminated with Staph.
Incubation period	30 minutes to 8 hours
Symptoms	Sudden start of nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. Most people also have diarrhea.
Duration of illness	1 day
What to do	Drink plenty of fluids. If you cannot drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration, call your doctor. Your doctor may give you medicine to decrease nausea and vomiting.
Prevention	Use a food thermometer and cook foods to their safe minimum internal temperature. Keep hot foods hot (140°F or hotter) and cold foods cold (40°F or colder). Store cooked food in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s hotter than 90° F outside). Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating. Do not prepare food if you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting. Wear gloves while preparing food if you have wounds or infections on your hands or wrists.

Source: FoodSafety.gov

Additional Materials (1)

2:41

Dangers of Staph food poisoning

News 8 WROC/YouTube

Causes

Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) bacteria

Image by CDC/ James Archer; Photo credit: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Medical Illustrator

How Do People Get Staph Food Poisoning?

People who carry Staph can contaminate food if they don’t wash their hands before touching it. If food is contaminated with Staph, the bacteria can multiply in the food and produce toxins that can make people ill. Staph bacteria are killed by cooking, but the toxins are not destroyed and will still be able to cause illness.

Foods that are not cooked after handling, such as sliced meats, puddings, pastries, and sandwiches, are especially risky if contaminated with Staph.

Food contaminated with Staph toxin may not smell bad or look spoiled.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Additional Materials (4)

Illustration of a man placing food in the refrigerator

NIH News in Health

Antimicrobial Resistance

Tara C. Smith

Antimicrobial Resistance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

MRSA Transmission, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

NIAID

MRSA Tests

MRSA Tests

Also called: MRSA Screening, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Screening

MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that's resistant to many antibiotics. This test can diagnose a MRSA infection so you can get treatment that may prevent serious complications.

MRSA Tests

Also called: MRSA Screening, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Screening

MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that's resistant to many antibiotics. This test can diagnose a MRSA infection so you can get treatment that may prevent serious complications.

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Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.
Your result is Negative.
A negative result will report the absence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which means that you are not carrying the germ, nor are you infected by it.
Related conditions
A MRSA test looks for MRSA bacteria in a sample of fluid or tissue from your body. The sample is often taken from your nose or a wound. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a type of staph bacteria.
Many people have MRSA or other staph bacteria living on their skin or in their noses. These bacteria usually don't cause any harm. Having the bacteria without an infection is sometimes called "carrying" or being "colonized" with the bacteria. But even when you don't have an infection, you could still spread the bacteria to others.
But staph bacteria that enters your body through a cut, scrape, or other open wound, often causes a skin infection. Most staph skin infections are minor. They usually heal on their own or after treatment with antibiotics. But if you are carrying the MRSA bacteria on your skin and it enters through an open wound, the usual treatments may not work well.
MRSA bacteria are different than other staph bacteria. In a normal staph infection, antibiotics will kill the bacteria and stop them from growing. In a MRSA infection, the antibiotics usually used to treat staph infections don't work. The bacteria are not killed, and they continue to grow. When common antibiotics don't work on bacterial infections, it's known as antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance makes it difficult to treat certain bacterial infections.
In the past, MRSA infections mostly happened in hospitals or nursing homes, putting people with weaker immune systems at risk. This is called hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). But now, MRSA is becoming more common in healthy people. This is known as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). In both cases, it's the same MRSA bacteria, but how you treat it and reduce its spread may be different.
Anyone can get MRSA. You could have MRSA and not have any signs or symptoms. MRSA is not spread through the air like a cold or flu virus, but it can live on surfaces for a long time. There are several different ways that MRSA can spread:
- Through contact with objects that are contaminated with the bacteria, such as sports or medical equipment.
- Sharing personal items that are contaminated with the bacteria, such as a towel, bedding, or a razor.
- Through close, personal contact with someone who has an infected wound. This is more likely to happen when large groups of people are close together, such as in a college dorm, locker room, prison, health care setting, or military barracks.
- By sharing contaminated needles, which can happen when people are using injectable drugs.
If it's not treated, a MRSA infection may become more serious. If the bacteria spreads to your bloodstream, it can be dangerous, and you need to get quick medical treatment. Untreated MRSA can also spread to other people.
Other names: MRSA screening, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus culture
You may need this test if you have symptoms of a MRSA infection. Your symptoms will depend on where the infection is located.
A MRSA infection on the skin may look like a type of rash. A MRSA rash looks like red, swollen bumps on the skin. The bumps may be filled with fluid or pus. Some people may mistake a MRSA rash for a spider bite. However, unless you actually see the spider, the bumps are probably not from a spider bite. With MRSA, the infected area may also be:
- Warm to the touch
- Painful
Symptoms of a MRSA infection in the bloodstream or other parts of the body include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- MRSA rash
A health care provider will take a fluid sample from your wound, nose, blood, or urine. Steps may include the following:
Wound sample:
- A provider will use a special swab to collect a sample from the site of your wound.
Nasal swab:
- A health care professional will use a special swab to take a sample from your nose.
Blood test:
- A provider will take a sample of blood from a vein in your arm.
Urine test:
- You will provide a sterile sample of urine in a cup, as instructed by your provider.
After your test, your sample will be sent to a lab for a bacteria culture test. Most tests take 24-48 hours to get results. That's because it takes time to grow enough bacteria to be detected. There is also a molecular test, which can deliver results much faster. The test, which is done on nasal swabs, can find MRSA bacteria in as little as five hours.
Talk to your provider to see which test would be a good choice for you.
The following steps can lower your risk of getting a MRSA infection:
- Wash your hands often and thoroughly, using soap and water.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you can't wash your hands.
- Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered until they are fully healed.
- Don't share personal items such as towels and razors.
- Use disinfecting sprays or wipes on light switches, remote controls, or other areas that are touched frequently.
You can also take steps to reduce antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotic resistance happens when people don't use antibiotics in the right way. To prevent antibiotic resistance:
- Take antibiotics as prescribed, making sure to finish the medicine even after you feel better.
- Don't use antibiotics if you don't have a bacterial infection. Antibiotics don't work on viral infections.
- Don't use antibiotics prescribed for someone else.
- Don't use old or leftover antibiotics.
1. MRSA Tests: MedlinePlus Medical Test [accessed on Apr 14, 2024]

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

Additional Materials (46)

MRSA History, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Antimicrobial Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria (MRSA) MRSA (yellow) being ingested by neutrophil (purplish blue).

Image by NIAID

MRSA Diagnosis, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-Resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) Bacteria : Scanning electromicrograph of the interaction of MRSA (blue bacteria) with a human white cell. The bacteria shown is strain MRSA252, a leading cause of hospital-associated infections in the United States and United Kingdom.

Image by NIAID

MRSA Transmission, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Hospital-Associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Bacteria : Interaction of MRSA (green bacteria) with a human white cell. The bacteria shown is strain MRSA252, a leading cause of hospital-associated infections in the United States and United Kingdom.

Image by NIAID

Petechia

A petechial hemorrhage on the lip of a patient with a systemic staphylococcal infection.

Image by CDC/Dr. Thomas F. Sellers/Emory University ID 2861

MRSA bacteria (yellow) being ingested by a neutrophil (purple)

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally colorized, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts two, yellow-colored, spherical, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, that were in the process of being phagocytized by a blue-colored human white blood cell (WBC), known specifically as a neutrophil.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

Under a magnification of 9560X, this digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted numerous clumps of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria.

Image by CDC/ Janice Haney Carr/ Jeff Hageman, M.H.S.

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally colorized, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts numbers of mustard-colored, spheroid shaped, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, which were surrounded by orange-colored cellular debris.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Abscess

An abscess is an enclosed collection of pus.

Image by Steschke

Sensitive content

This media may include sensitive content

A cutaneous abscess caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

This 2005 photograph depicted a cutaneous abscess located on the hip of a prison inmate, which had begun to spontaneously drain, releasing its purulent contents. The abscess was caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, referred to by the acronym MRSA.

Image by CDC

MRSA

Human neutrophil ingesting MRSA : Scanning electron micrograph of a human neutrophil (red) ingesting MRSA (yellow).

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

Under a magnification of 2390X, this digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted numerous clumps of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria.

Image by CDC/ Jeff Hageman, M.H.S.; Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts numerous mustard-colored, spheroid shaped, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, enmeshed within the pseudopodia of a red-colored human white blood cell (WBC), known more specifically as a neutrophil.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Antimicrobial Resistance

Figure in review article from Plos One Pathogens on agricultural spread of antimicrobial resistance. Caption: Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a growing public health concern, but tracing the origins of the bacterium is complicated."

Image by Tara C. Smith

Antimicrobial Resistance

Infographic from the CDC Threat Report 2013, Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States

Image by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Non-resistant bacteria vs drug resistant bacteria

Diagram showing the difference between non-resistant bacteria and drug resistant bacteria. Non-resistant bacteria multiply, and upon drug treatment, the bacteria die. Drug resistant bacteria multiply as well, but upon drug treatment, the bacteria continue to spread.

Image by NIAID

Diagram depicting antibiotic resistance through alteration of the antibiotic's target site, modeled after MRSA's resistance to penicillin. Beta-lactam antibiotics permanently inactivate PBP enzymes, which are essential for bacterial life, by permanently binding to their active sites. MRSA, however, expresses a PBP that does not allow the antibiotic into its active site.

Diagram depicting one recognized way in which bacteria may be resistant to antibiotics: if the antibiotic functions by blocking the active site of the enzyme, the bacteria may evolve to produce an enzyme that will not allow the antibiotic to bind to its active site. (This diagram is modeled specifically on the way some strains of Staphylococcus aureus have evolved to resist the beta-lactam antibiotic methicillin by expressing the mecA gene.) 1- Both enzymes are structurally similar, but differ in the kind of substances they will allow in their active sites. (The differences between the two may actually be much more subtle than what is implied by the image.) 2- Both enzymes carry out normal functions in the bacterial cell. (In this case, the enzymes are depicted making cross-links in the bacterial cell wall, a function which is crucial to bacterial cell survival and replication.) 3- The beta-lactam antibiotic fits in the active site of the antibiotic-sensitive enzyme, but not in that of the resistant enzyme. 4- Once in the active site, the beta-lactam ring of the antibiotic springs open, permanently inactivating the sensitive enzyme. The resistant enzyme, however, is totally unaffected; it is free to continue carrying out its normal function in the bacteria.

Image by Mcstrother

Scanning Electron Micrograph of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci

This scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicts a cluster of vancomycin-resistant, Gram-positive, Enterococci sp. bacteria.

Image by CDC/ Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this digitally colorized, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts a clump of yellow-colored, spheroid shaped, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that were enmeshed in a blue-colored, filamentous extracellular matrix, which normally binds cells together within the body’s various tissue types.

Image by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

MRSA Staph

Image by MadKittyMedia

Bacteria, Bacterial Species, MRSA

Image by geralt/Pixabay

Antibiotics vs. Bacteria: Fighting the Resistance

Video by The National Library of Medicine/YouTube

Science Bulletins: MRSA—The Evolution of a Drug-Resistant Superbug

Video by American Museum of Natural History/YouTube

MRSA-H: Hospital Infections

Video by Health Science Channel/YouTube

The Dirty Truth About MRSA

Video by Lee Health/YouTube

CA-MRSA: Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Video by Paul Cochrane/YouTube

MRSA: A Most Unwelcome Guest

Video by Pfizer/YouTube

Community-Associated MRSA

Video by University of California Television (UCTV)/YouTube

What is an MRSA Infection (Staph Infection, Super Bug)

Video by healthery/YouTube

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Video by Boulder Community Health/YouTube

MRSA - Environmental Surface Cleaning & Disinfecting in the General Community

Video by Paul Cochrane/YouTube

MRSA Methicillin Resistant Saphylococcus Aureus - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Video by nabil ebraheim/YouTube

MRSA Prevention Program

Video by Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative/YouTube

What Are Bacterial Biofilms? A Six Minute Montage

Video by biofilm/YouTube

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) - Akron Children's Hospital video

Video by AkronChildrens/YouTube

What is MRSA?

Video by Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society/YouTube

Trinity Christian student dies from MRSA

Video by News4JAX/YouTube

Ask UNMC: Preventing MRSA in athletic settings

Video by UNMCEDU/YouTube

Microbiology - Bacteria Antibiotic Resistance

Video by Armando Hasudungan/YouTube

Ask UNMC: MRSA in hospitals

Video by UNMCEDU/YouTube

CDC Vital Signs: Stop the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance (Short)

Video by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/YouTube

Superbugs: CDC's 2013 List of the Biggest Drug-Resistant Threats

Video by Paul Cochrane/YouTube

What causes antibiotic resistance? - Kevin Wu

Video by TED-Ed/YouTube

Antibiotics and Resistance

Video by Healthcare Triage/YouTube

Healthcare-Associated Infections in the United States

Video by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/YouTube

Expert: We took antibiotics for granted

Video by 60 Minutes/YouTube

New Guidelines For Keeping Student Athletes Safe From Superbug Infections

Video by CBS New York/YouTube

MRSA History, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Antimicrobial Resistance

NIAID

MRSA Diagnosis, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

NIAID

MRSA Transmission, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

NIAID

Petechia

CDC/Dr. Thomas F. Sellers/Emory University ID 2861

MRSA bacteria (yellow) being ingested by a neutrophil (purple)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

CDC/ Janice Haney Carr/ Jeff Hageman, M.H.S.

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Abscess

Steschke

Sensitive content

This media may include sensitive content

A cutaneous abscess caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

CDC

MRSA

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

CDC/ Jeff Hageman, M.H.S.; Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Antimicrobial Resistance

Tara C. Smith

Antimicrobial Resistance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Non-resistant bacteria vs drug resistant bacteria

NIAID

Diagram depicting antibiotic resistance through alteration of the antibiotic's target site, modeled after MRSA's resistance to penicillin. Beta-lactam antibiotics permanently inactivate PBP enzymes, which are essential for bacterial life, by permanently binding to their active sites. MRSA, however, expresses a PBP that does not allow the antibiotic into its active site.

Mcstrother

Scanning Electron Micrograph of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci

CDC/ Janice Haney Carr

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

MRSA Staph

MadKittyMedia

Bacteria, Bacterial Species, MRSA

geralt/Pixabay

5:48

Antibiotics vs. Bacteria: Fighting the Resistance

The National Library of Medicine/YouTube

2:05

Science Bulletins: MRSA—The Evolution of a Drug-Resistant Superbug

American Museum of Natural History/YouTube

3:35

MRSA-H: Hospital Infections

Health Science Channel/YouTube

1:58

The Dirty Truth About MRSA

Lee Health/YouTube

3:59

CA-MRSA: Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Paul Cochrane/YouTube

5:13

MRSA: A Most Unwelcome Guest

Pfizer/YouTube

44:43

Community-Associated MRSA

University of California Television (UCTV)/YouTube

2:15

What is an MRSA Infection (Staph Infection, Super Bug)

healthery/YouTube

4:50

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Boulder Community Health/YouTube

4:16

MRSA - Environmental Surface Cleaning & Disinfecting in the General Community

Paul Cochrane/YouTube

4:34

MRSA Methicillin Resistant Saphylococcus Aureus - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

nabil ebraheim/YouTube

2:36

MRSA Prevention Program

Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative/YouTube

6:00

What Are Bacterial Biofilms? A Six Minute Montage

biofilm/YouTube

3:47

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) - Akron Children's Hospital video

AkronChildrens/YouTube

3:39

What is MRSA?

Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society/YouTube

2:15

Trinity Christian student dies from MRSA

News4JAX/YouTube

1:03

Ask UNMC: Preventing MRSA in athletic settings

UNMCEDU/YouTube

13:01

Microbiology - Bacteria Antibiotic Resistance

Armando Hasudungan/YouTube

1:02

Ask UNMC: MRSA in hospitals

UNMCEDU/YouTube

2:18

CDC Vital Signs: Stop the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance (Short)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/YouTube

4:32

Superbugs: CDC's 2013 List of the Biggest Drug-Resistant Threats

Paul Cochrane/YouTube

4:35

What causes antibiotic resistance? - Kevin Wu

TED-Ed/YouTube

7:54

Antibiotics and Resistance

Healthcare Triage/YouTube

1:35

Healthcare-Associated Infections in the United States

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/YouTube

2:14

Expert: We took antibiotics for granted

60 Minutes/YouTube

2:21

New Guidelines For Keeping Student Athletes Safe From Superbug Infections

CBS New York/YouTube

Prevention

Food Safety

Image by FDA

How Can I Prevent Staph Food Poisoning?

The best way to avoid food poisoning by Staph is to prevent food from being held at an unsafe temperature (between 40°F and 140°F) for more than 2 hours.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F. Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s hotter than 90°F outside).

Remember to always follow these food safety tips:

Use a food thermometer and cook foods to their safe minimum internal temperature.
Keep hot foods hot (140°F or hotter) and cold foods cold (40°F or colder).
Store cooked food in wide, shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s hotter than 90° F outside).

The following tips that are part of the four steps to food safety – clean, separate, cook, and chill – also can help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning:

Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating.
Do not prepare food if you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting.
Wear gloves while preparing food if you have wounds or infections on your hands or wrists.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Additional Materials (4)

Prevent Food Poisoning - Wash your hands for 20 seconds

www.cdc.gov

Prevent Food Poisoning - Do not wash raw chicken.

CDC

Prevent Food Poisoning - Rinse fruits and vegetables

CDC

Prevent Food Poisoning - Use a food thermometer

CDC

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