VPT 421: Veterinary Toxicology (2+0)

FACTORS CAUSING BACTERIAL GROWTH IN FOODSTUFF

• Discarded foodstuffs are often high in proteins and carbohydrates.
• They serve as excellent substrates for the rapid growth of bacterial, often with enterotoxin release.
• Instances of intoxication due to food increases in warm weather and during festival seasons when increased food is prepared and discarded.
• Under conditions of warm temperatures and adequate moisture, these discarded foodstuffs can have an almost explosive growth of bacteria, especially S. aureus and B. cereus, which are the most common causes of enterotoxin related food poisonings in the human.