First spinach, now peanut butter; is anything safe from food poisoning?

Since August, salmonella-tainted jars of Peter Pan or Great Value (a Wal-Mart brand) peanut butter have spread across the United States, causing more than 290 people to become ill and 69 to be hospitalized.

I heard about the contaminated snack from a patient who had just eaten a peanut butter sandwich. While eating this poorly timed lunch she heard a news report that hundreds of people had developed food poisoning from Peter Pan peanut butter. She felt a rumbling in her stomach and was convinced that "Vesuvius was about to blow." I reassured her that all was OK.

About 40,000 cases of salmonella poisoning occur every year, with some 600 fatalities. In general, salmonella infections are serious in people with an impaired immune function, such as patients with HIV/AIDS, those receiving chemotherapy for cancer, the very old and the very young.

Salmonella infections occur from food contaminated with animal feces. Finding the bacteria in peanut butter is surprising, and the cause of the contamination is not clear. Rodents and other small animals could contaminate batches of nuts before they are processed.

However, this is unlikely because making peanut butter involves heating it to 150 degrees on two separate occasions, a process that kills any contaminating bacteria. The only time contamination could occur is during the cooling process and before the butter is transferred to hermetically sealed containers.

The chance of a contamination like this happening again is small. All batches of affected peanut butter have been removed from store shelves. If by chance you have a jar of Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter at home with 2111 on the lid, I would discard it, but don't worry about dangers in newly bought products or other brands.

Food poisoning is a fact of life and will never be eradicated. Usually the illness is mild, but it can be serious. Symptoms occur within 48 hours of consuming contaminated food or liquid and include nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dehydration, headache and mild fever.

Symptoms usually resolve in two or three days. Each year about 76 million cases of food poisoning are reported; more than 500,000 people are admitted to the hospital and about 6,000 die. The cost of salmonella infections alone is about $1 billion each year.

Food can become contaminated with viruses, bacteria, parasites or toxins. Viruses are the most common and include Norwalk, Rotavirus and Hepatitis A. In each case the illness is mild and although liver damage and jaundice do occur with Hepatitis A, it is rarely fatal.

Bacterial contamination is more dangerous. The most common are salmonella and E. coli. Most occur sporadically, but on occasion can lead to a local or widespread epidemic. Better reporting methods now make food poisoning easier to identify.

In the last 12 months serious contamination of spinach by E. coli and the peanut butter report are just two examples of how medical detectives are able to recognize a problem, identify the contaminated food and contain the problem.

This is good and bad news for all of us. Although we are identifying food poisoning more readily, there is often unnecessary panic. The risk to each of us is small and continually avoiding certain foods because of contamination risks is inappropriate. I often hear comments that organic foods are more dangerous because their lack of artificial additives makes them more susceptible to contamination. This is just not true. Furthermore, with each new outbreak better methods are put in place to help eradicate future contamination.

Usually food poisoning is mild, with symptoms that are readily treated by over-the-counter medications. Avoid dehydration by consuming adequate amounts of fluid. You should see a doctor if symptoms last longer than two to three days, if you develop a high fever or if you have recently traveled outside the country.

Dehydration is a serious complication that can cause confusion, dizziness or lightheadedness. Anyone with a serious illness such as AIDS or cancer should seek medical help immediately.

Remember that gastrointestinal illness with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea is perhaps the most common illness afflicting us. By being aware of when to seek help, you can avoid serious illness.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the book "Breaking the Rules of Aging." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. More information is available at www.drdavidhealth.com.