According to statistics, cases of registration of symptoms of cottage cheese poisoning rank third among food poisoning. Up to 750 thousand tons of curd products are sold annually in the country, and this figure tends to rise. In parallel, the problem of using low-quality cottage cheese is aggravated. Traditionally, a favorite fermented milk product, under certain conditions, accumulates a toxin hazardous to health, causing poisoning with cottage cheese.
Poisoning types
The beneficial properties of cottage cheese determine the frequent inclusion of this fermented milk product in children's and dietary menus. The product is rich in complete milk protein, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Is it possible to get poisoned with cottage cheese? Unfortunately, you can: excessive use of the product threatens with milk protein poisoning.
100 g of the product contains 15 - 18 g of protein. The norm is the consumption of 1 g of protein per kg of body weight. For example, a person weighing 70 kg can have 70 g of pure protein. This amount of protein corresponds to 400 g of cottage cheese. If you eat more at once, the kidneys and liver, removing waste products, will work with a doubled load. In the digestive tract, the process of protein decay will begin with the formation of toxic substances. However, this type of poisoning is the exception rather than the rule.
In ecologically unfavorable areas, milk contains heavy metal salts, pesticides and other chemicals. A product made from such raw materials will not turn out to be very useful. They are more often poisoned with cottage cheese seeded with pathogenic microflora. Bacteria and microscopic fungi are not dangerous in themselves - microorganisms release toxins harmful to humans, which cause symptoms of poisoning.
How fermented milk becomes dangerous
Initially, pathogenic microflora can be added to the curd at the plant. If the technological process is disrupted, pathogenic microbes - Escherichia coli, acetic acid bacteria, yeast and mold fungi - will get into the curd products from the air, from dirty equipment and workers' hands. By the time of purchase of such a "delicacy", the product has already been poisoned with harmful toxins, even if the shelf life has not expired.
If the rules for packaging, transportation and storage are violated, even a high-quality product will deteriorate. Storage of cottage cheese should take place under the following conditions: no more than 36 hours at t = 5 ° C and air humidity up to 85%. In the store, microbes will multiply in goods with damaged packaging, if the storage and sale conditions are not followed, or if expired products are sold.
Buying dairy products in spontaneous markets is a very dubious undertaking. Where does the cottage cheese come from, from what, by whom and under what conditions is it made? Risking your health for the controversial benefits of a "natural" product is unwise. You should not buy cottage cheese at such points of sale:
- market;
- supermarket;
- small shops with questionable storage conditions.
At home, spoiled cottage cheese is not thrown away, but "put into business." Imaginary savings will backfire. Expired, sour or moldy cottage cheese cannot be eaten even after heat treatment: unfortunately, toxins after frying, boiling, baking are not completely eliminated.
Signs of cottage cheese poisoning
The first symptoms of cottage cheese poisoning will appear in half an hour. In the stomach, a feeling of heaviness and fullness increases, breathing and heartbeat become more frequent, the secretion of saliva increases, which is swallowed convulsively. Then the contents of the stomach are expelled. The pain in the abdomen increases, accompanied by cramps and cramps.
The temperature rises to 38 ° C and above. The poisoned person feels weakness, chills, dizziness. Frequent urge to use the toilet begins. Vomiting, diarrhea, and fever can cause dehydration. The mouth is dry, the saliva is viscous, the person feels lethargic and weak. Loss of consciousness is possible.
First aid for poisoning
It is important to start providing first aid as soon as possible. You need to call a doctor at home in such cases:
- severe persistent vomiting, diarrhea;
- temperature over 38 ° C;
- age up to 18 years.
First aid for cottage cheese poisoning consists of gastric lavage, deactivation of toxins, and elimination of dehydration. The poisoned person should drink 1-2 liters of clean water and induce vomiting. Continue these actions until the stomach is completely cleansed. When the stomach is clean, you need to give activated charcoal to drink (1 crushed tablet per 10 kg of weight). Sorbents can be taken instead of coal:
- "Smecta";
- Polysorb;
- Enterosgel;
- "Polyphepan".
You need to take the tablets up to four times with an interval of 15 minutes, washed down with boiled water. An hour after the last portion of the sorbent is taken, the replenishment of the lost fluid begins. The poisoned person can be given weak sweet tea. The pharmacy sells powders for dissolution in water - "Regidron", "Gastrolit", "Cytroglucosolan", which contain salts and glucose, restoring the water and salt balance of the body.
Create comfortable conditions for the poisoned person: lay on the left side, cover with a blanket, warm legs with heating pads. It is not necessary to give fixing drugs and decoctions - this will prevent the detoxification of the human body from toxins, exacerbating the situation.
Treating a food poisoning victim
If first aid is given correctly, and the victim feels better, you can continue to treat food poisoning at home. On the first day, a person should not eat anything, he needs to drink more liquid. If the feeling of hunger wakes up - it's good, the body is recovering. Useful liquid rice or oatmeal in water, sweet tea with homemade crackers without additives. On the following days, you must follow a sparing diet - give up fatty, spicy, fried, smoked, pickled foods, carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
If there is poisoning with cottage cheese, extracts of chamomile, yarrow, sage will help to relieve inflammation and restore the gastric mucosa. A tablespoon of chopped dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for an hour. Then filter and take a quarter of a glass of infusion half an hour before meals four times a day.
Prevention of poisoning
You can avoid poisoning with cottage cheese if you follow the precautions:
- It is necessary to carefully study the packaging, which indicates the manufacturer, composition, production date, shelf life.
- It is necessary to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on the terms and conditions of storage of cottage cheese.
- Opened packaging should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
- A spoiled product should be thrown away without regret.
- You cannot buy curd products in spontaneous markets or from unknown sellers.
- The best way to prevent food poisoning is to make your own cottage cheese at home.
By following these tips, the risk of poisoning by low-quality curd products is minimized. It is especially worth listening to the advice of young parents, since poisoning with cottage cheese in very young children is fraught with complications and a long stay in the hospital.
Pulmonologist, Therapist, Cardiologist, Functional diagnostics doctor. Doctor of the highest category. Work experience: 9 years. She graduated from the Khabarovsk State Medical Institute, clinical residency in the specialty "therapy". I am engaged in diagnostics, treatment and prevention of diseases of internal organs, I also conduct professional examinations. I treat diseases of the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system.
Due to the high content of calcium and protein, cottage cheese is an essential component of nutrition for children and adults. Cottage cheese poisoning can occur for many reasons. In this article, we looked at the main factors that can cause curd intoxication, symptoms and treatments for this condition.
Reasons for poisoning with cottage cheese
- Cooking cottage cheese by people who are sick or are carriers of intestinal infection. Pathogenic bacteria enter the curd with poorly washed hands and then infect people.
- Failure to comply with sanitary standards in the manufacture of cottage cheese. Insufficient heat treatment, the use of low-quality milk or cooking it in a dirty container can lead to poisoning.
- ... This product has clear terms of sale and storage.
- Incorrect storage of cottage cheese. Even fresh and unexpired cottage cheese can lead to severe poisoning if stored without a refrigerator.
Please note that most often poisoning develops as a result of the purchase of cottage cheese in spontaneous and non-certified markets. The products sold there are not tested. The curd bought from your grandmother may turn out to be far from natural and healthy and will lead to severe poisoning!
The main clinical manifestations of cottage cheese poisoning
How long does it take for symptoms to appear? Cottage cheese poisoning occurs during the first 4-12 hours after eating it. They can develop faster in a child.
Consider the signs of curd poisoning.
- General weakness, loss of strength develop as a result of intoxication of the body.
- Nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are defense mechanisms. With the help of vomiting, the body tries to get rid of toxins and pathogenic bacteria. Vomiting can be repeated. Vomit consists of food debris, mucus, gastric juice and bile.
- Abdominal pain. It can manifest itself in the form of intestinal colic - a sensation of spasms in the intestines of different localization.
- Profuse and repeated diarrhea up to 25 times a day. The stool can be greenish, frothy, streaked with blood and mucus.
- Body temperature can rise to 38-38.5 degrees.
- Headache and dizziness.
- Tachycardia is a rapid heartbeat. It develops against the background of intoxication and dehydration of the body.
Profuse vomiting and diarrhea quickly lead to dehydration and general disruption. The skin becomes flabby and pale, and breathing becomes faster. Also, the amount of urine excreted decreases.
How to provide first aid for curd poisoning
Poisoning with cottage cheese leads to a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition. It is accompanied by severe intoxication, loss of fluid, and heart failure.
Remember that self-medication with curd poisoning is very dangerous. Only a doctor, after examining the patient, can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
When the first clinical manifestations of curd poisoning appear, an ambulance should be called. While she drives start helping the poisoned person on your own.
The table below shows the main components of first aid, with the help of which you can slightly improve the condition of the victim.
| Name | Purpose of the | Methodology |
| Cleansing the stomach helps to get rid of the remnants of undigested food, and toxins that have not had time to be absorbed into the blood. It will help prevent a worsening of the condition and an increase in intoxication syndrome. Gastric lavage at home is not performed for children under 3 years of age. | You need to drink a liter of plain water in one gulp and then pull it out. The water should be at room temperature, without any additives. Doctors do not recommend using a potassium permanganate solution. |
|
| Cleansing enema | An enema is carried out in order to cleanse the intestines from toxic food and to reduce intoxication. | For an enema at home, use plain boiled water at room temperature. Enema is carried out before the appearance of clean wash water. |
| Sorbents | These drugs bind, neutralize and remove pathogens and toxins from the intestines. | Any sorbent can be used. Before taking them, check the expiration date, read the instructions, pay attention to the dosage rules. Preparations:
|
| Drink | Drinking plenty of fluids is essential to treat intoxication and dehydration. It is performed after gastric lavage. | In order not to cause new bouts of vomiting, you should drink a little and often. You can drink mineral alkaline or table water without gases, black sweet tea at room temperature. |
Follow-up treatment
The ambulance team, having arrived at the call, will examine the patient and take an anamnesis. First medical aid will be provided, which consists of:
- droppers with solutions for the treatment of dehydration and for the removal of intoxication;
- drugs that relieve nausea and vomiting, relieve abdominal pain;
- oxygen that is supplied through a face mask;
- gastric lavage (if it has not been done earlier).
After providing first aid, doctors hospitalize the patient in the infectious diseases department, where his further treatment and examination is carried out. The length of hospital stay depends on the causative agent of the poisoning.
Components of inpatient care:
- bed rest;
- diet, drinking regimen;
- rehydration therapy;
- antibacterial drugs;
- enzymes;
- antispasmodics;
The scope of treatment can be extended if the patient has complications arising from poisoning (pancreatitis, cholecystitis, intestinal dysbiosis, gastritis).
Patient examination
To prescribe the correct treatment and to identify possible complications from the internal organs, the doctor prescribes an examination of the patient, which, in case of curd poisoning, consists of:
- general detailed blood test;
- general urine analysis;
- bacterial culture of feces;
- ultrasound examination of internal organs;
- biochemical blood test;
- electrocardiogram.
Prevention of cottage cheese poisoning
Curd poisoning is much easier to avoid than to cure. Adhering to simple recommendations, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease.
How can you prevent cottage cheese poisoning?
- Do not buy cottage cheese or milk for making it in spontaneous markets or from hand. You cannot know in what conditions it was cooked, by whom and on the basis of what milk. Also, in the future, when poisoning appears, there will be no one to make a complaint.
- Check the manufacturing date and the integrity of the curd packaging. Please note that you need to read the factory expiration date. Sometimes in the store they stick it with their dates to sell expired and old goods.
- Prepare cottage cheese for children yourself. This will not take much of your time and effort and will protect your little one from curd poisoning.
- Store purchased or prepared cottage cheese in the refrigerator.
Cottage cheese poisoning can be caused by a huge number of reasons. The first symptoms of the disease develop within 12 hours after its use. When they appear, you need to call an ambulance and begin to provide the victim with pre-medical treatment. It consists of washing the stomach and intestines, sorbents, and drinking. Further examination and therapy of the patient is carried out in the conditions of the infectious diseases department. The duration depends on the causative agent of intoxication and the condition of the patient.
Restricting the diet of these products will allow you to quickly restore the body after poisoning. All of them are quite heavy and contain many unnecessary and harmful substances that can only aggravate the patient's condition with food poisoning. In particular, such food causes increased gas production, pain and cramps in the stomach, provokes excessive stimulation of enzymes, and causes fermentation in the intestines.
Soup can only be low-fat, unfried, ideally vegetarian. Honey is introduced from the 4th day approximately, since the sweet enhances the fermentation processes in the intestines. Milk cannot be drunk immediately after poisoning, like kefir with yogurt, they are introduced from the 5th day, not earlier. The prohibition also applies to eggs in any form - this is a heavy product.
Note:there are different opinions about bananas. Opponents of this fruit in case of poisoning believe that bananas should not be consumed because they are pretty sweet. However, bananas contain enough potassium (a lot of it is lost in case of poisoning), few fruit acids, which irritate the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract (unlike other fresh fruits), have a soft consistency. Therefore, their use is allowed.
Sample menu after poisoning
First day: hunger and plentiful drink (herbal decoctions, pharmacy saline solutions).
Second day: up to 2 liters of liquid, broth (3 times a day, 100 ml each), several crackers, mashed potatoes (potatoes, zucchini, carrots) up to 200 gr.
Third day: rice in water (250g), vegetable broth (300g), crackers and biscuit biscuits, drink plenty of water.
Fourth day: chicken broth (boneless) 200 ml, vegetable casserole with semolina (no eggs) - 250 grams, steamed fish cakes or meatballs (100g), homemade crackers, biscuit biscuits.
Cottage cheese is one of the most commonly eaten foods. Among other dairy products, it is cottage cheese that holds the record for the content of nutrients in its composition, while it has excellent digestibility.
Its undoubted benefits make it a very popular dish for people of almost any age and material wealth. Low-fat cottage cheese is very useful for young children, pregnant and lactating women. In addition, low-fat cottage cheese is one of the most popular diet foods.
However, this very useful product can be fraught with danger, which can lead to poisoning with cottage cheese, which has various consequences.
Poisoning reasons
There are three main reasons why cottage cheese can harm the human body:
Violation of production technology. When preparing dishes from cottage cheese, the correct thermal processing mode should be observed. An improperly cooked food can harm the digestive tract and cause an allergic reaction.
You should be careful when buying homemade cottage cheese by weight. First, you need to make sure the consistency, smell and taste are indicative of the freshness of the product. Secondly, it is better to use it in cooking dishes that require heat treatment.
The expiration date has expired. Although this point is self-explanatory, it is he who is the most common cause of disorders. In no case should you eat cottage cheese, the expiration date of which has ended!
Violation of storage conditions. It should be remembered that cottage cheese, like any dairy product, is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. The cottage cheese deteriorates most quickly in the heat, so in the summer you should be especially careful when using cottage cheese. Natural cottage cheese without preservatives can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days.
If the shelf life of cottage cheese is longer, then it contains chemical preservatives, which in themselves can also cause a reaction in people prone to allergies.
Symptoms
The poisoning itself is caused by various bacteria, and the clinical picture of the disease will depend on which particular bacterium caused the intoxication.
Salmonella
As a rule, it gets into the curd when the cooking process is incorrect. The insidiousness lies in the fact that the taste remains normal and the person calmly eats spoiled cottage cheese. Symptoms appear after two to three hours:
- Fever, possibly febrile condition
- Spasms
- Repeated vomiting and diarrhea with characteristic foam and sour odor.
The danger of such intoxication is that there is a possibility of an infectious-toxic shock.
Staphylococcus
It can also be present in cottage cheese due to disturbed cooking technology. A distinctive symptom is the absence of a rise in temperature. The symptoms are as follows:
- nausea and vomiting
- diarrhea
- general weakness
- headache
- stomach cramps
Shigella
This bacteria causes dysentery. The presence of Shigella sticks in the curd may be due to use (insufficiently pasteurized or from a sick animal)
Symptoms:
- vomiting, diarrhea
- head and stomach pains
- prostration
- lowering blood pressure
Treatment for poisoning
The first step is to help the body get rid of toxic substances. To do this, the victim needs to drink as much liquid as possible (ordinary still or boiled water is best suited).
If there is no diarrhea, a cleansing enema should be given. This will help the body to remove the remnants of low-quality food as soon as possible.
In addition, you should start taking medications aimed at maintaining the intestinal microflora. The most commonly used is Rehydron.
After taking first aid measures, you should seek the advice of a doctor who will prescribe tests to exclude the possibility of infectious diseases.
Poisoning in a child
If the body of an adult does not tolerate poisoning too hard, then for a small child's body such intoxication can become a serious test.
Each child's body will react to poisoning in its own way. Someone will transfer it easily enough, then the only symptoms will be allergic manifestations, lethargy and lack of appetite.
In more severe cases, all signs of poisoning may be present:
- nausea;
- vomit;
- diarrhea;
- abdominal cramps;
- high temperature;
It should be remembered that if signs of poisoning appear in a child, you should immediately call a doctor. Before his arrival, you should fight dehydration and, at very high temperatures, give an antipyretic.
Warm clothing is undesirable, as this increases sweating and, therefore, fluid loss. The baby should be watered often and little by little, it can be either boiled water or Regidron's solution.
In the event that first aid measures do not bring any visible result, then going to a doctor or calling an ambulance is a necessary measure, regardless of the victim's age.
How to identify fresh curd
Fresh cottage cheese has a white, possibly light cream color, a yellowish tint is allowed. Any impurities of a dark color should alert; it is better to refrain from using such a product. Normally, the smell is slightly sour, but pleasant. A strong, unpleasant odor is a signal that the product is not fresh.
Before buying cottage cheese, it's best if you can taste it. Then you can tell by taste whether it is fresh. A good product will have a slightly sour taste, other tastes are absent.
Cottage cheese in baby food
As a rule, many parents begin to give their baby cottage cheese as early as six months of age. It is an excellent food for a growing body, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, and also supplies the baby with calcium.
However, one should be very careful as the curd must be very fresh and of very good quality to feed a small child.
The dose of cottage cheese for a baby is very small, starting from 30 grams per day for a child of six months and up to 50 grams per day for a one-year-old baby. Exceeding the specified dose can harm the body, since it will create an unnecessary and completely unnecessary burden on the kidneys.
Despite the fact that everyone has encountered poisoning more than once, and perhaps for many it is not a "real", "serious" disease, the treatment of intoxication should be approached with all responsibility.
First, there is no need to neglect medical attention. Indeed, behind symptoms similar to a reaction to poor-quality food, a serious infectious disease, for example, diphtheria, can be hidden. Medical assistance not provided on time in this case will lead to sad consequences.
Secondly, you should be very careful with childhood poisoning. Dehydration is a real and very significant threat to a small organism. Also, do not get carried away with self-medication, and as soon as possible call a doctor to the child who can diagnose and prescribe treatment.
Do not forget that if you approach carefully and carefully to the choice of food for the table, then most of the poisoning can be safely avoided.
Cottage cheese is a popular and healthy fermented milk food product, which is used, among other things, for baby and diet food. Curd is obtained by heating pasteurized milk, followed by the addition of pepsin and sourdough, and removing liquid whey after the curd is completed. The fat content of the finished product can vary from 0% to 23%. Cottage cheese with a high percentage of fat deteriorates faster, as it oxidizes more intensively.
Source: depositphotos.com
Poisoning with cottage cheese is possible if you eat a product that has been stored for more than 4 days or at a temperature of more than + 8 ° C.
Care should be taken when purchasing homemade cottage cheese, since an incorrect manufacturing process with non-compliance with sanitary rules can lead to a shortened shelf life. Often, in such cases, the product is initially contaminated with microorganisms if:
- milk is obtained from sick animals;
- the person who made the cottage cheese is sick with an infectious disease (respiratory or rotavirus infection, helminthiasis, viral hepatitis A, salmonellosis, dysentery);
- cows giving milk were not handled properly;
- the container for storing and carrying the finished product was dirty, etc.
It is especially dangerous to purchase cottage cheese outside stationary retail chains in the summer - at high ambient temperatures, bacteria in food multiply and produce toxins much faster.
Poisoning symptoms
Poisoning symptoms will appear several hours after consumption. These include:
- weakness, drowsiness, headache, dizziness;
- nausea, vomiting, heartburn, belching;
- unstable stools, pain in the intestines;
- increased body temperature.
Source: depositphotos.com
First aid for poisoning
- Gastric lavage. To do this, drink a large amount of water (about 1 liter) and provoke vomiting by pressing your fingers or a spoon on the root of the tongue.
- Fluid replacement. This is the most important stage in first aid for food poisoning, since dehydration can occur as a result of fluid loss. You should "drink" the patient (perform oral rehydration): a tablespoon of liquid every few minutes, on average up to one and a half liters per hour. Since during vomiting and diarrhea, not only water is lost, but also useful trace elements, it is recommended to use saline solutions for rehydration, for example, Rehydron. It is necessary to drink in small sips so as not to activate the gag reflex.
- The use of sorbents ("Polysorb", "Enterosgel", "Polyphepan", "Smecta") for effective binding and elimination of toxins.
The use of antibiotics for food poisoning is impractical, since the disease is caused not by bacteria, but by the toxins produced by them.
When is medical attention required?
In case of mild poisoning, you can be treated at home, without hospitalization; in case of moderate and severe poisoning, you must call a doctor or an ambulance and receive treatment in a hospital.
Qualified medical attention is needed if:
- the temperature rises or becomes insensitive to antipyretic drugs;
- it is impossible to rehydrate;
- persistent exhausting vomiting developed;
- general state of health has worsened (headache intensifies, pains in muscles and bones appear);
- convulsions, confusion appeared, coordination was disturbed.
Young children are subject to compulsory hospitalization, regardless of the severity of the process. If a child is injured, inpatient treatment is necessary, because with toxicoinfection, diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration in a short period of time, which is a condition requiring urgent hospitalization.
Possible consequences
Usually, after poisoning with cottage cheese, the body is restored without any serious consequences within 2-7 days.
With an unfavorable combination of circumstances, one of the serious complications may develop:
- hypovolemic shock (a critical drop in blood pressure due to dehydration);
- infectious toxic shock;
- acute heart failure (caused by increased excretion of potassium from the body, as a result of which the contractility of the heart muscle decreases).
Prophylaxis
For cottage cheese, there are strict storage standards: no more than 4 days at a temperature of +2 to + 6 ° C, preferably stored in an enamel or glass container, but not in a plastic bag. The container with cottage cheese must be closed with a lid to reduce the contact of the product with air. Vacuum packed cottage cheese can keep fresh for up to 30 days. Also, cottage cheese can be frozen for later use in cooking, however, its taste will change in this case.
The main preventive measures are the control of the shelf life and storage standards of the product.
If the cottage cheese is stored for more than 4 days, was left for several days in a plastic bag, lay warm in an open container for several hours - you should stop using it.
YouTube video related to the article:
