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Foodborne Illnesses and Incubation Periods

By Anthony Marangon on February 17, 2018
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Incubation Period

Although incubation periods—the time between ingestion of a foodborne pathogen and the onset of symptoms—are only ranges, and wide ones at that, they can still be used to identify a suspect food poisoning claim.  For example, the claimant who insists that an E. coli O157:H7 illness was sparked by the hamburger eaten an hour before the onset of illness does not have a viable case. The incubation period of E. coli O157:H7 is one to ten days, typically two to five days.

Incubation Periods of Common Foodborne Pathogens

PATHOGEN INCUBATION PERIOD
Staphylococcus aureus 1 to 8 hours, typically 2 to 4 hours.
Campylobacter 2 to 7 days, typically 3 to 5 days.
E. coli O157:H7 1 to 10 days, typically 2 to 5 days.
Salmonella 6 to 72 hours, typically 18-36 hours.
Shigella 12 hours to 7 days, typically 1-3 days.
Hepatitis A 15 to 50 days, typically 25-30 days.
Listeria 3 to 70 days, typically 21 days.
Norovirus 24 to 72 hours, typically 36 hours.

So, if you suffer from a foodborne illness, it is not usually the last meal you ate.  Also, a stool culture for the above – except Listeria and Hepatitis A – which need blood tests – is the best way to definitively determine what “bug” has made you ill.

If you test positive in either stool or blood for one of the above bacteria or viruses, the doctor, lab or hospital is required to alert the local and state health departments, and they are obligated to interview you about the possible source of your illness.

Photo of Anthony Marangon Anthony Marangon

Anthony joined Marler Clark as an associate attorney in August 2015, after graduating from Seattle University School of Law with honors. During law school, Anthony worked as an in-house legal intern at Weyerhaeuser Company, where he focused in environmental and natural resources law.

Anthony joined Marler Clark as an associate attorney in August 2015, after graduating from Seattle University School of Law with honors. During law school, Anthony worked as an in-house legal intern at Weyerhaeuser Company, where he focused in environmental and natural resources law. He also served as a summer clerk at the firm of Fortier & Mikko, P.C. in Anchorage, Alaska, and served as a legal extern at the King County Superior Court to Judge (now Justice) Mary Yu, of the Washington State Supreme Court. Anthony spent the last year of law school working as a Rule 9 Legal Licensed Intern with Marler Clark, where he worked closely with Bill Marler and Denis Stearns on research projects that covered a variety of complex legal issues, such as the recovery of emotional distress damages in cases involving consumption of recalled food, and the differing legal standards applicable to the certification of class actions under federal and state laws.

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  • Posted in:
    Food, Drug & Agriculture, Personal Injury
  • Blog:
    Food Poison Journal
  • Organization:
    Marler Clark LLP, PS
  • Article: View Original Source

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