|
What
is
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B?
How is
SEB
spread?
What are the
symptoms of SEB exposure?
How is
SEB exposure
diagnosed?
How is the illness
treated?
What
can be done to prevent
SEB food poisoning?
Why are we concerned about SEB as a biological weapon?
Is a vaccine
available for SEB?
What
is
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B?
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) is one of
several toxins produced by the Staphylococcus aureus
bacteria. The toxin commonly causes unintentional
outbreaks of food poisoning.
How is
SEB
spread?
SEB thrives in unrefrigerated meats, dairy, and bakery
products. Therefore, SEB is generally transmitted by
eating contaminated foods. If SEB were used as a
biological weapon, it could be aerosolized and thus inhaled.
It is not possible to spread SEB from person-to-person.
What are the
symptoms of SEB exposure?
Symptoms differ depending on the type of exposure. After eating contaminated foods, symptoms with
usually start within 4-10 hours and include nausea, vomiting,
stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Symptoms of inhaled SEB
include a sudden high fever (103º F. to 106º F.), chills,
headache, muscle aches, and a dry cough and will usually
appear within 3-12 hours after breathing in SEB.
How is
SEB exposure
diagnosed?
SEB is initially diagnosed based on symptoms. Laboratory
confirmations can be made by testing blood and urine samples.
How is the illness
treated?
Usually treatment of foodborne disease is not needed, other
than taking steps to prevent or treat dehydration. For
respiratory distress from inhaled SEB, ventilation may be
required.
What
can be done to prevent
SEB food poisoning?
By properly
preparing meat products and using appropriate refrigeration
techniques to store meat and dairy products you can greatly
reduce your risk of SEB food poisoning. It is also
important to wash your hands before preparing or serving foods
and after handling raw meat.
Why are we concerned about SEB as a biological weapon?
We know that
in the past SEB has been studied as a biological weapon and
even stockpiled by the United States during its old biological
weapons program, which ended in 1969. SEB is considered
an effective biological weapon because it can be easily
aerosolized and is very stable. Though death is possible
after exposure to large amounts of the toxin, fatalities are
rare. Since SEB is much more likely to cause illness
that death, it is classified as an “incapacitating agent.”
Is a vaccine
available for SEB?
No vaccine
or antitoxin is available to treat SEB before or after
exposure.
For more
information call (602) 364-3289 |
