Which bacterial organisms produce preformed toxins that cause acute diarrhea?
- Symptoms that occur rapidly (< 12 hours) after ingestion and include nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea are consistent with the ingestion of a preformed toxin.
- Some of these toxins are heat stable thus persist despite cooking of foods.
- The most common syndromes are caused by the
- (1) heat stable Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin,
- (2) Bacillus cereus enterotoxins (often associated with rice), and (3) Clostridium perfringens (rewarmed meats such as ham).
- Symptoms are generally self-limited.
- Point source outbreaks with multiple cases associated with one recent meal is typical.
- Additionally, ciguatera and scombroid seafood poisoning, caused by heat-stable toxins from bioaccumulation and spoilage, respectively, are common and can present with diarrhea as part of their syndromes.
