Keywords
Foodborne intoxications
children
risk factors
rehydration
children
risk factors
rehydration
How to Cite
Dika-Haxhirexha, F., Ademi, A., Haxhirexha, A., Koxha, S., & Turkeshi, S. (2025). Foodborne Toxicity in the Pediatric Population: Etiology, Diagnosis, and Prevention Strategies. Albanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, 9(2), 1813 - 1818. https://doi.org/10.32391/ajtes.v9i2.484
Abstract
Introduction: Foodborne intoxications persist as a significant and urgent public health concern globally, impacting both developing and developed nations. The incidence, particularly among children, escalates notably during the summer months, underscoring the severity of the issue.
This study aims to present our clinical experience in managing foodborne intoxications in pediatric patients aged between 12 months and 6 years.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 96 children diagnosed with foodborne intoxication, all of whom were treated by the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the management of foodborne illnesses.
Results: Among the 96 children treated between June and August 2024, 56 were female and 40 were male. The mean age of the patients was 3.8 years. The most commonly reported symptoms upon admission were colicky abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and—in a subset of patients—high-grade fever and chills.
Conclusion: The management of foodborne infections remains a critical global health issue. The unique vulnerability of younger children and the potential for rapid clinical deterioration underscore the need for improved management strategies, highlighting the crucial role of the medical community in addressing this issue.
References
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37. Rajkovic, A., Jovanovic, J., Monteiro, S., Decleer, M., Andjelkovic, M., Foubert, A., … Uyttendaele, M. (2020). Detection of toxins involved in foodborne diseases caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 19(4), 1605–1657.
38. Jovanovic, J., Ornelis, V., Madder, A., & Rajkovic, A. (2021). Bacillus cereus food intoxication and toxicoinfection. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(4), 3719–3761.
39. Nicholson, J. K., & Suyama, J. (2003). Foodborne pathogens and toxins in “Food safety: contaminants and toxins” (E. D’Mello, red.). In Food safety: contaminants and toxins (f. …). CABI.
40. Ding, J., et al. (2019). Socioeconomic and Hygienic Determinants of Diarrheal Disease in Children. Journal of Public Health
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42. Cumming, O., & Cairncross, S. (2016). Water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 5(1), 42–52.
43. Whitney, B. M., Mainero, C., Humes, E., Hurd, S., Niccolai, L., & Hadler, J. L. (2015). Socioeconomic status and foodborne pathogens in Connecticut, USA, 2000–2011. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 21(9), 1617–1624.
44. Shrestha, A., Six, J., Dahal, D., Marks, S., & Meierhofer, R. (2020). Association of nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene practices with children’s nutritional status, intestinal parasitic infections and diarrhoea in rural Nepal: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 20, 1241.
45. Guerrant, R. L., et al. (2017). 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(12), e45–e80.
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48. Bartlett, J. G., & D’Amico, F. A. (2015). Empiric antibiotic therapy in bacterial foodborne infections. American Family Physician, 91(2), 60–66.
49. Scallan, E., et al. (2011). Viral and toxin-mediated gastroenteritis: Clinical features and management. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 11(4), 299–310.
50. Mandell, G. L., Bennett, J. E., & Dolin, R. (2019). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (9th ed.). Elsevier
2. Mayo Clinic. (2024). Food poisoning. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20356230
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Foodborne Germs and Illnesses. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html
4. Lake, R. J., Devleesschauwer, B., Nasinyama, G. W., Havelaar, A. H., & Cressey, P. J. (2015). The impact of foodborne diseases: A review of the global burden, trends and priorities. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 12(7), 495–504
5. Liu, A., Karon, A. E., Pogreba-Brown, K., & O’Connell, J. (2018). Seasonality of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States, 1996–2016. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 15(7), 430–437.
6. Scallan, E., Hoekstra, R. M., Angulo, F. J., Tauxe, R. V., Widdowson, M. A., Roy, S. L., & Griffin, P. M. (2011). Foodborne illness acquired in the United States—Major pathogens. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17(1), 7–15.
7. Havelaar, A. H., Kirk, M. D., Torgerson, P. R.,... & Devleesschauwer, B. (2015). World Health Organization global estimates and regional comparisons of the burden of foodborne disease in 2010. PLoS Medicine, 12(12), e1001923.
8. Newell, D. G., Koopmans, M., Verhoef, L., Duizer, E., Aidara-Kane, A., Sprong, H., ... & van der Giessen, J. (2010). Foodborne diseases—The challenges of 20 years ago persist while new ones continue to emerge—International Journal of Food Microbiology, 139(S1), S3–S15.
9. World Health Organization. (2017). Diarrhoeal disease: Fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease
10. Guerrant, R. L., Van Gilder, T., Steiner, T. S., Thielman, N. M., Slutsker, L., Tauxe, R. V., & Nataro, J. P. (2001). Practice Guidelines for the Management of Infectious Diarrhea Clinical Infectious Diseases, 32(3), 331–351
11. Duggan, C., & Santosham, M. (2016). Oral rehydration therapy for the treatment of dehydration due to diarrhea in children. BMJ, 352, i639.
12. UNICEF & World Health Organization. (2004). Clinical management of acute diarrhoea: WHO/UNICEF joint statement. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241593180
13. Duggan, C., & Santosham, M. (2016). Oral rehydration therapy for the treatment of dehydration due to diarrhea in children. BMJ, 352, i639
14. Munos, M. K., Walker, C. L. F., & Black, R. E. (2010). The effect of oral rehydration solution and recommended home fluids on diarrhoea mortality. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(Suppl 1), i75–i87.
15. Thapar, N., & Sanderson, I. R. (2004). Diarrhoea in children: An interface between developing and developed countries. The Lancet, 363(9409), 641–653
16. WHO. (2015). Estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases – 2010.
17. Pena, A., & Smith, J. (2022). Factors influencing increased vulnerability in infants during weaning. Journal of Pediatric Health, 35(2), 40–52.
18. Bennett, S. D., Walsh, K. A., & Gould, L. H. (2013). Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus—United States, 1998–2008. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 57(3), 425–433.
19. Karadal, F., Ertaş Onmaz, N., Hizlisoy, H., Yildirim, Y., Al, S., Gonulalan, Z., & Bağcı, C. (2019). Toxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in some animal-originated food products marketed in Turkey: Presence and Public Health Concerns. Veterinaria Italiana, 55(4), 305–315.
20. Senturk, A. Ö., et al. (2024). A review and meta-analysis of Staphylococcus aureus prevalence in foods. The Microbe, 4, 100131.
21. El Agamy, A. I., et al. (2020). Prevalence, toxin-typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens from retail meats in Seoul, Korea. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 17(7), 487–494.
22. El Boukari, I., et al. (2017). Occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in sausages sold in Meknes city, Morocco—Journal of Food Safety, 37(1), e12345.
23. StatPearls. (2019). Pediatric gastroenteritis. NCBI Bookshelf.
24. Bintsis, T. (2017). Foodborne pathogens. AIMS Microbiology, 3(3), 529–563.
25. Chen, J., et al. (2022). Rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Campylobacter spp., and Escherichia coli in food using biosensors. Food Control, 137, 108962.
26. EFSA BIOHAZ Panel. (2023). Persistence of microbiological hazards in fruit and vegetable production. EFSA Journal, 21(5), 8521.
27. Freedman, S. B., van de Kar, N. C. A. J., & Tarr, P. I. (2023, October 12). Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The New England Journal of Medicine, 389(15), 1504–1512.
28. European Food Safety Authority & European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (2021). The European Union One Health 2019 Zoonoses Report. EFSA Journal, 19(2), 6406.
29. Zerbato, V., et al. (2024). Human Campylobacter spp. Infections in Italy: Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 43(3), 409–419.
30. White, P. A., Netzler, N. E., & Grant, C. (2024). Foodborne Viral Pathogens. In Foodborne Viral Pathogens (Taylor & Francis)
31. Sánchez, G. (2016). Foodborne viruses. Current Opinion in Food Science, 8, 110–119.
32. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). (2011, May 26). Scientific opinion on an update on the present knowledge on the occurrence and control of foodborne viruses. EFSA Journal, 9(7), 2190.
33. Todd, E. C. D., & Greig, J. D. (2015). Viruses of foodborne origin: A review. Journal of Food Protection, 78(6), 1100–1112.
34. Maunula, L., & von Bonsdorff, C.-H. (2019). Foodborne viruses: Occurrence and control. Current Opinion in Food Science, 30, 1–7.
35. Koutchma, T., et al. (2020). Foodborne viruses and innovative non-thermal food-processing technologies. Foods, 9(11), 1520.
36. Rousseaux, C. G., & Haschek, W. M. (2023). Chapter 9: Bacterial toxins. Në Haschek and Rousseaux's Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology (Vol. 3, pp. 629–678). Elsevier.
37. Rajkovic, A., Jovanovic, J., Monteiro, S., Decleer, M., Andjelkovic, M., Foubert, A., … Uyttendaele, M. (2020). Detection of toxins involved in foodborne diseases caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 19(4), 1605–1657.
38. Jovanovic, J., Ornelis, V., Madder, A., & Rajkovic, A. (2021). Bacillus cereus food intoxication and toxicoinfection. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(4), 3719–3761.
39. Nicholson, J. K., & Suyama, J. (2003). Foodborne pathogens and toxins in “Food safety: contaminants and toxins” (E. D’Mello, red.). In Food safety: contaminants and toxins (f. …). CABI.
40. Ding, J., et al. (2019). Socioeconomic and Hygienic Determinants of Diarrheal Disease in Children. Journal of Public Health
41. Erefe, B., & Teklemariam, Z. (2021). Handwashing effect on diarrheal incidence in children under five years old in rural eastern Ethiopia: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Tropical Medicine and Health, 49, Article 24.
42. Cumming, O., & Cairncross, S. (2016). Water, sanitation and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 5(1), 42–52.
43. Whitney, B. M., Mainero, C., Humes, E., Hurd, S., Niccolai, L., & Hadler, J. L. (2015). Socioeconomic status and foodborne pathogens in Connecticut, USA, 2000–2011. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 21(9), 1617–1624.
44. Shrestha, A., Six, J., Dahal, D., Marks, S., & Meierhofer, R. (2020). Association of nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene practices with children’s nutritional status, intestinal parasitic infections and diarrhoea in rural Nepal: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 20, 1241.
45. Guerrant, R. L., et al. (2017). 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(12), e45–e80.
46. World Health Organization. (2019). Oral Rehydration Therapy: Use in Diarrhea. Geneva: WHO.
47. Shane, A. L., et al. (2017). Antimicrobial Therapy and Stewardship in Acute Gastroenteritis: A Focus on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(12), 212–220.
48. Bartlett, J. G., & D’Amico, F. A. (2015). Empiric antibiotic therapy in bacterial foodborne infections. American Family Physician, 91(2), 60–66.
49. Scallan, E., et al. (2011). Viral and toxin-mediated gastroenteritis: Clinical features and management. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 11(4), 299–310.
50. Mandell, G. L., Bennett, J. E., & Dolin, R. (2019). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (9th ed.). Elsevier
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