Salmonella | Diarrhoea accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever throughout the course of the illness. Symptoms may last a few hours to several days. | Arthritis, inflammation of the eyes, painful urination | 6.5 – 7.5 | Under 4.5 or above 9.0 |
Bacillus cereus | Diarrhoea, urge to urinate, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting | Only lasts 24 hours | 4.4 – 9.3 | Under 4.4 or above 9.3 |
Campylobacter jejuni | Headache, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea (watery, often bloody) | Guillain-Barre Syndrome (paralysis, difficulty breathing | 4.9 – 9.0 | Under 4.9 or above 9.0 |
Cryptosporidium parvum | Asymptomatic infection to severe illness with serious watery diarrhoea. Further possible symptoms are abdominal pain, nausea, fever and weight loss. | Cryptosporidium can have fatal long-term impacts for AIDS patients and small children (6 to 24 months). Unfortunately, cryptosporidium cannot be completely eradicated by medication in these patients in particular. | 4.8 – 7.2 | Under 4.8 or above 7.2 |
Cyclospora cayetanensis | Acute non-bloody, watery diarrhoea with fever, abdominal pain, nausea, anorexia, general malaise and weight loss. In hosts with reduced cell-mediated immunity, e.g. AIDS, cyclosporiasis can lead to serious persistent and voluminous diarrhoea not unlike cryptosporidiosis. | Unknown | 4.8 – 7.2 | Under 4.8 or above 7.2 |
Escherichia coli O157:H7 | Short-term liquid diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, frequent urge to urinate | Half of patients with HUS deal with long-term damage in the form of high blood pressure or proteinuria. EPEC is responsible for many infant deaths in developing countries | 4.0 – 9.0 | Under 4.0 or above 9.0 |
EHEC | Watery or bloody diarrhoea, haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), kidney failure | Kidney, brain and blood disorders, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression | 4.0 – 9.0 | Under 4.0 or above 9.0 |
Yeast fungus | Bloating, distension, abdominal pain, bouts of ravenous hunger, frequent diarrhoea, varying consistency of stool, vaginal yeast infection, itching at the anus | Unknown | 4.5 – 9.0 | Under 4.5 or above 9.0 |
Hepatitis A, B | Gastrointestinal symptoms, often unspecific, jaundice may occur, often asymptomatic in children | Increased risk of cirrhosis and cancer of the liver (Hepatitis B) | Very stable in acid | N/A |
Listeria monocytogenes | Acute septicaemic form (newborn listeriosis) meningitis or local infection; incubation period unknown for exogenous infections; diaplacental infection proven; airborne, conjunctival, oral and skin infection possible | Meningitis and encephalitis with high fatality in people with weakened immune systems. Infections in pregnant women can result in miscarriage or premature birth. Babies are often born with serious damage | 4.5 - 9 | Under 4.5 or above 9 |
Norwalk-like viruses | Violent vomiting and severe diarrhoea, acute gastroenteritis, flu-like symptoms | Dyspepsia, constipation or heartburn | Very stable in acid | N/A |
Norovirus | Severe diarrhoea and fever in babies and children. High. Diarrhoea and vomiting in adults. Nausea and vomiting along with strong stomach ache. Coughing, joint pain, breathing problems | Death in children under 5 | 2 - 10 | Under 2 or above 10 |
Mould | Nose and throat irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing, asthma, headache, eye irritation, skin irritation (neurodermitis), increased susceptibility to infections, tiredness, difficulty with perception, chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and allergies. | Poisoning, increased risk of cancer | 4.5 – 6.5 | Under 4.5 or above 6.5 |
Shigella | Illness mostly begins with watery diarrhoea and can result in inflammatory colitis. Fever, abdominal pain, dehydration, protein loss | If the shigellosis causes ulcers to develop in the large intestine, the colon may expand and burst in extreme cases. | 4.8 – 9.3 | Under 4.8 or above 9.3 |
Staphylococcus aureus | Nausea, vomiting; circulatory symptoms culminating in shock; weak pulse; subnormal body temperature | Lymphatic system damage | 4.0 – 9.3 | Under 4.0 or above 9.3 |
Vibrio cholerae | Asymptomatic to continuous diarrhoea with rice-water stool; sometimes bloody. Life-threatening loss of fluid, excess acidity, cramps | Untreated, cholera leads to death in 60 percent of cases. Patients can lose up to 25 litres of fluid per day. This massive loss of fluid leads to shock, which can cause death. | 8.6 | Under 6.5 (pH must be acidic) |
Vibrio parahaemolyticus | Salmonella-like symptoms, headache, strong stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, usually fever | No real long-term damage | 8.6 | Under 6.5 (pH must be acidic) |
Yersinia enterocolitica | Watery diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain | Reactive arthritis | At least 4.2 | Under 4.2 |