Meat poisoning
Meat is one of the main ingredients in the diet of most people. It provides the body with protein and trace minerals, including much-needed iron, as well as a range of vitamins. A huge number of delicious and varied dishes can be prepared from meat, including those intended for dietary nutrition.
However, low-quality meat poses a serious health hazard, as it can lead to poisoning or, in medical terms, food poisoning.
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How does meat poisoning happen?
Can lead to meat poisoning:
- slaughter of sick animals;
- violation of sanitary and hygienic rules during cutting;
- violation of the rules of transportation and storage;
- eating meat dishes that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment.
Meat is a breeding ground for many microorganisms. Once on the surface of the piece, they multiply rapidly, penetrating into the deep layers and producing dangerous toxins. If the meat does not undergo the necessary heat treatment, it is consumed "with blood", then pathogenic bacteria are likely to enter the body.
Toxic waste products of pathogenic microbes cause an inflammatory process in the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. As a result, the absorption of water and nutrients from the chyme by the villi of the small intestine is impaired. This process underlies the formation of gastroenteric syndrome.
In case of meat poisoning, general intoxication syndrome is usually expressed. Its occurrence is associated with the ingress of a bacterial toxin into the bloodstream.
Poisoning with meat infected with Clostridia botulism has a slightly different pathogenesis. These microbes produce one of the most powerful poisons, which is carried by the bloodstream throughout the body, penetrates into nerve synapses and blocks their activity. The result is muscle paralysis, including respiratory paralysis, with the most serious consequences.
Poisoning symptoms
The incubation period for food toxicoinfection associated with eating meat infected with salmonella or staphylococcus does not exceed two days. The more pathogenic microbes got into the digestive system, the shorter it will be and the brighter the clinical picture will be.
The main symptoms of meat poisoning in this case:
- heaviness in the epigastrium;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- cramping abdominal pain;
- profuse and repeated diarrhea;
- increased body temperature;
- tachycardia;
- lowering blood pressure;
- weakness;
- muscle and headache.
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When eating jerked, smoked or canned low-quality meat, botulism can develop. The initial signs of this life-threatening illness are similar to those of common foodborne toxicity described above. In the future, the patient rapidly grows muscle weakness, breathing becomes shallow. If urgent treatment is not started, respiratory paralysis and, as a result, death may occur.
First aid for poisoning
In case of food poisoning with meat products, first aid should be aimed at cleansing the body of the microbes that caused the disease and the toxins they produce.
- Flush the stomach. At home, this is done by the simplest method, called "restaurant". The patient is given several glasses of water to drink, after which, due to irritation of the root of the tongue, vomiting is caused. This procedure should be repeated several times until all the food eaten has passed out of the stomach. It is strictly forbidden to wash the stomach for unconscious people and children!
- Take an absorbent medication. They act like a blotter. With their entire surface they absorb and retain toxins, and then, together with the stool, remove them from the body. Activated carbon or Filtrum STI can be used as an absorbent.
Drinking plenty of fluids helps to reduce the manifestations of intoxication and prevent possible dehydration, as well as the associated electrolyte imbalance. Do not drink a lot of fluids at once, as this will cause vomiting. It is better to give the patient a drink of Rehydron solution or WHO powder (if they are not available, ordinary water at room temperature will do) every 10 minutes in small sips.
When is medical attention required?
In case of meat poisoning, even when the symptoms seem minor at first glance, it is advisable to see a doctor. But it is especially important to do this in the following cases:
- poisoning occurred in the child;
- symptoms of intoxication persist for more than two days;
- there was a sharp muscle weakness and breathing problems;
- decreased diuresis (daily urine output);
- blood pressure decreased significantly.
Methods of treatment for meat poisoning depend on the pathogen that caused it. So, with salmonellosis, doctors prescribe antibiotics and infusion therapy.
In case of botulism, it is necessary to start the introduction of anti-botulinum serum as soon as possible, which neutralizes botulinum toxin. With severe respiratory failure, it becomes necessary to transfer the patient to artificial respiration, therefore, these patients are hospitalized in the intensive care unit.
Possible consequences
The main danger of any type of foodborne infection, including meat poisoning, is the risk of dehydration of the body, violation of its water-salt balance. This can lead to serious complications such as hypovolemic shock and acute renal failure. Dehydration is especially dangerous for children in the first year of life.
Botulism with timely treatment usually ends well, but recovery takes a long time. Due to weakened shallow breathing, patients often develop pulmonological diseases (atelectasis, aspiration pneumonia and purulent tracheobronchitis), which lengthens the recovery period. Delay in starting a specific treatment for botulism can be fatal.
Prevention
Compliance with the following rules will significantly reduce the risk of meat poisoning:
- meat should be purchased from large stores where it is sanitized. You can also purchase it on the market, provided that the seller has a health book and a veterinary certificate for the products sold;
- Before buying, meat should be carefully examined, paying special attention to its color and smell. If the meat looks suspicious, and the smell is uncharacteristic for a fresh product, it is better to refuse to buy it;
- at home, meat should be stored in the freezer;
- be sure to thoroughly heat treatment before eating;
- ready-made meat dishes are stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for no more than 48 hours;
- you should not eat canned meat in swollen cans.
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Elena Minkina Doctor anesthesiologist-resuscitator About the author
Education: graduated from the Tashkent State Medical Institute, specializing in general medicine in 1991. Repeatedly passed refresher courses.
Work experience: anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the city maternity complex, resuscitator of the hemodialysis department.
The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
