Aetiology

• bacterial
• intrinsically poisonous food, for example deadly nightshade, red kidney beans
• parasites in the meat, for example Taenia, Trichinella
• chemicals:
  • heavy metals, e.g. mercury, zinc
  • pesticides, e.g. rodenticides, insecticides
• allergies
• paralytic shell fish poisoning
• scombrotoxin histamine intoxication
• viral food poisoning
• Chinese restaurant syndrome - monosodium glutamate

Reference

1. American Medical Association, American Nurses Association/American Nurses Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Diagnosis and management of foodborne illnesses: a primer for physicians and other health care professionals. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2004 Apr 16;53(RR-4):1-33.