Food Poisoning

How is the condition diagnosed?

Many times the diagnosis is presumed because of the timing of events. A person often eats somewhere unusual, then feels sick within a few hours. Most cases of food poisoning go away within 24 hours. With this type of history, assuming a person does get better, little other testing is done. If needed, such as in large outbreaks, the food can be examined, as well as affected people's stool and vomited material. The exact cause can be determined by finding toxins or organisms that are known to cause the illness.