Last but not the least of the three groups of bacteria are the pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenic organisms are in this class are bacteria that are capable of causing food borne illness when ingested.

Some of the most common pathogens associated with causing food borne illness are as follows:

Escherchia coli O157:H7 aka E. coli O157:H7 Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes Clostridium botulinum Clostridium perfringens Campylobacter jejuni Shigella Yersinia enterocolitica Bacillus Cereus Staphylococcus aureus

Each of these bacteria can be associated with a variety of different foods and the different infections and intoxications can have different infective doses, onset times, symptoms and seriousness. For instance, Clostridium botulinum is one of the most deadly food borne pathogens and is capable of causing death.

Adequate cooking does not always prevent food borne illness because some food borne pathogens are capable of producing a toxin that can withstand heating and it causes all the symptoms of food borne illness. The best precaution a person can take is to ensure the food is kept at refrigeration temperatures and adequate cooking temperatures are reached. Refrigeration of foods is a means of slowing or preventing the growth of pathogens that are contained in the food so that they do not reach levels that can lead to food borne infection.

As a rule, if you are not sure of the quality of food you are about to prepare, "when in doubt, throw it out".