Food Borne Bacteria
Harmful bacteria are the most common causes of food borne illnesses.  Most of the bacteria that cause these illnesses go undetected because they have no odor and cause no change in the color or the texture of the food that they are growing on.  Therefore it would be fairly easy to cause an epidemic in a fairly large population using a bacteria to cause infection.  Bioterrorism is a constant threat in the U.S. today and must be monitored in every way possible.  Food is another way that bioterrorists could effect America.  By infecting major foods consumed in the U.S. everyday an outbreak of illness could be implicated without much trouble.  There are many bacteria that could be used to cause these illnesses, and some of the more effective ones are listed below telling what they are and the symptoms that their diseases entail.

Food should always be handled very carefully even when not considering it from a bioterrorist point of view.  Bacteria from food can come from many different places including:  raw or undercooked meat, unwashed or contaminated produce, seafood, food handling, and cross contamination from other areas.  Cross contamination can happen wherever the food was processed or packaged or in your own home when countertops and other areas where food was handled is not properly cleaned.  There are many preventative measures that can be taken to ensure not to ingest pathogenic bacteria and some of these are listed below.
 

1) Make sure that food is promptly refrigerated.  If prepared food is left in room temperature for more than two hours it may not be safe to eat.  Make sure that your refrigerator is set at 40°F or lower and your freezer at 0°F or lower.

2) Make sure that food is cooked at the appropriate temperature and for long enough or all of the bacteria will not be eliminated.  (145°F for red meat, 160°F for pork and ground beef, 165°F for ground poultry and 180°F for whole poultry)

3) Prevent cross contamination.  Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods that are ready to eat.

4) Ensure that food in handled properly by washing hands before and after preparation.  Also make sure that surfaces where food in handled is always clean.

5)  Never defrost food on the kitchen counter.

6) Do not pack the refrigerator.  Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.
 

    Everyone is always at risk when food borne bacteria are concerned so food must always be handled carefully but there are some that are at higher risk than others.  Young children who have not built up a strong immune system yet are at higher risk along with pregnant women and their fetuses.  Elderly people are also at a higher risk because of their lowered immunity.  Another group are those that are immunodeficient due to cancer treatment, HIV, or the aids virus.  These people should be especially careful and never eat any kind of raw food but all people should take the proper precautions.

    The bacteria listed below are some of the more harmful ones that can be found in food.  They are linked to descriptions of each.