Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of food poisoning vary in degree and combination. They may include the following:
Abdominal pain: Most severe in inflammatory processes; painful abdominal muscle cramps suggest underlying electrolyte loss
Vomiting: Major presenting symptom of S aureus, B cereus, or Norovirus [1]
Diarrhea: Usually lasts less than 2 weeks
Headache
Fever: May be an invasive disease or an infection outside the GI tract
Stool changes: Bloody or mucousy if invasion of intestinal or colonic mucosa; profuse rice-watery if cholera or a similar process
Reactive arthritis: Seen with Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia infections
Bloating: May be due to giardiasis