This is How You Can Make Yourself Sick

Bacillus Cereus is among some of the many species of bacteria that usually lurked around our home kitchens and other food handling or food preparation environment. Because this bacterium can cause severe illnesses, it’s of paramount importance that we know what steps to follow when handling foods. In this post, we will be particularly looking at the following:

• Source of this bacterium
• Illnesses this genus usually cause 
• Signs and symptoms of these illnesses
• Recommended (USDA) primary & secondary medical interventions 
• Recommended temperatures that hot and cold foods should be kept

Bacillus Cereus 
The bacterium Bacillus cereus, otherwise referred to as B. cereus, is a genus usually found in foods. It tends to multiply rapidly at room temperature and produces toxins that can cause several illnesses.

Sources
Foods that have sat out for an extended period at room temperature, particularly rice and other leftovers, are usually one of the primary sources of this bacterium. Sauces, soups, and other prepared foods can also harbor growth if they have sat out for too long at room temperature. Thus, prompt refrigeration or maintaining leftovers and other prepared food at the recommended temperature are essential.

Two Known types of illness Cause By B. Cereus
1. Diarrheal: characterized by diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 6-
   15 hours.
2. Emetic toxin: characterized by nausea and vomiting with 30 minutes –      
    6 hours.

Immediate Response To Signs and Symptoms
A person who has been experiencing constant or prolonged diarrhea and vomiting secondary to consuming toxins produced by Bacillus cereus can become dehydrated very quickly. Thus, they must try to re-hydrate themselves as soon as possible by returning sufficient fluids to the body to compensate for that amount lost; If not, this can lead to a loss of electrolytes, sodium in particular, and an overall disruption of the metabolic process.

Based on the advice provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one should drink plenty of fluids and get enough rest. However, if you cannot drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Food Handling Recommendation
To reduce the risk of becoming ill from Bacillus cereus, hot foods should be kept hot (above 140°F). Similarly, cold foods should be kept cold (40°F or below). Cooked foods should be stored in a wide, shallow container and refrigerated as soon as possible. It’s best to refrigerate all leftovers within 2hrs.

Conclusion
Bacteria, in general, are not visible to the naked eyes; Usually, they can only be seen under a microscope. As a result, there’s no way for us to tell whether or not they are sitting in the foods we are about to consume. In fact, if this was the case, we could easily avoid becoming ill from Bacillus cereus.

Often, it’s only after we have gotten ill from eating a bacterium-infested meal that we have become aware of the fact that they were indeed present in our foods. For this reason, we should always try to practice safe food handling techniques, but more importantly, try our uttermost best to follow all the recommended precautionary measures provided by the USDA and other food safety-related agencies.