These Foodborne Illnesses can be Horrifying

Outbreaks caused by foodborne illnesses happen all the time. These usually have subtle symptoms that are often mistaken for tiredness or stress. However, if left unchecked, these illnesses can transform into a widespread problem. For this reason, it is important to be concerned about parasites and pathogenic bacteria in your meal. Let’s take a look at some of the dangerous foodborne illnesses.

Cryptococcosis Grows Mold on Your Brain

Do you sometimes feel that you don’t need to wash your fruits and vegetables? After reading this, you won’t even think about committing this mistake again. Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that’s found all over the world. Pick up a random handful of dirt and there’s a good chance some of this fungus will be there. Cryptococcus enters the body through the respiratory system, and it is a merciless killer. It sends a cloud of basidiospores straight into the lungs and the nasal passages.

It starts off like a slight tickle in the throat that evolves into a hacking cough. The headaches and fever start after a while. At this point, the fungus is spreading toxins throughout the bloodstream. If left untreated, it can spread through the central nervous system and eventually the brain stem. The nightmare doesn’t end here. The hallucinations caused by this fungus are strong enough to cause permanent neurological damage.

Salmonella Melts Your Bones

Salmonella is one of the reasons why chicken is always cooked before being eaten. It is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria that affects the digestive functioning of the human body. It causes diarrhea and stomach aches but this is not the bad part of this foodborne illness.

If Salmonella decides to go exploring through your body, it can affect the bone marrow. The bacteria swim through your bloodstream and cause an infection, a condition known as osteomyelitis. Naturally, the white blood cells rush to defend the bones. They “lyse” the bone or break down the cells into a fluid. This results in thick pockets of pus where the solid bone once stood. While this does flush out Salmonella, you are left with Jell-O for bones.

Ciguatoxins Reverse

Although there are many harmful fish toxins, Ciguatoxin is probably the worst one of them. These are produced by a type of plankton called Dinoflagellate. This toxin goes a long way before reaching your body. It travels through coral, then herbivorous fish, then increasingly larger carnivores, and finally on to your plate.

Unlike some other foodborne illnesses, the effects of this disease take only two hours to appear after ingestion. It begins with nausea and cramps, and if you’re lucky, it stops right there. Otherwise, it can go on to work on your nervous system.

You might get lightheaded, tingly, or short of breath. Your heart will be racing a mile a minute and your lips will go numb. The entire nervous system starts to misfire and the first sign of it is the reversal of temperature feel. Ice will feel like it’s burning while a lit stove will feel like ice.

Amoebiasis Dissolves Your Organ Tissues

Amoebiasis is like diarrhea but instead of your food being ejected out, it is your organ’s tissues. You get it by eating or drinking something with tiny quantities of fecal matter in it.

This ‘diarrhea’ is caused by an amoeba called Entamoeba Histolytica. It enters the digestive system as an egg. After a period of incubation, a hungry amoeba spawns. It starts attacking the inner layers of the intestine. The intestinal tissues are broken down and are eventually dissolved.

Brucellosis Slowly Rips Your Spinal Cord Apart

The very thought of this happening is gruesome. Brucellosis, also known as Maltese Fever and Bang’s disease, is caused by Brucella bacteria. It is usually found in soft cheese and unsterilized milk. Fortunately, Brucellosis is fairly rare and you’re unlikely to get it if you drink pasteurized milk.

For the bad part, Brucellosis is a chronic condition that lasts for life. Two of the major complications of this infection are arachnoiditis and syringomyelia. These cause cavities to start forming on the spine. Slowly, the cavities expand over time and they force the spine discs apart. In short, it ruptures the entire spinal cord.