How soon do you contract food poisoning?


Question:
In conjunction with another question I posted, how long does it take before food poisoning is in your system? when you feel the effects? I've had it before but just wondered.

Answers:
Depends on the type of food poisoning. There is food intoxication that can see symptoms set in within 3 hours. This would a violent type of illness with vomitting and other symptons setting in similar to getting really drunk very fast.

There is also food infection that can see symptons set in within 8 hours. Symptoms can be gradual similar to a flu.

The only really effective manner in which to determine whether you have had fodd poisoning is to have the doctor test a stool sample.

Lots of great info at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001652.htm#Symptoms

Other Answers:
The stomach typically empties every 20-30 minutes. After that it's a matter of the individual's metabolism and disgestion rates.
Within an hour and a half you should start to expereince some discomfort, feverish, irritable bowels grumbling, then later diarrhea and vomiting.
It really depends on what you have contracted. Viruses can make you very sick very quickly (e.g. the norovirus that many folks got on the cruise ships). Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium botulinum form toxins and can get you sick in a matter of hours. Salmonella and E. coli O157 take 1-8 days. Some take weeks, even months to manifect themselves (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes).
Source(s):
www.cdc.gov; FDA website


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