Diseases
From Raw Milk Consumption
Milk is an
important part of a person's diet. Unfortunately, it can
also carry certain organisms that can cause severe disease
in humans (1). One way to prevent this is by pasteurizing
the milk. Pasteurization kills the organisms that cause
disease without destroying the milk. It also increases the
shelf life of milk by destroying proteins and bacteria in
the milk that cause it to spoil. Some people do not like the
idea of pasteurizing their milk and feel raw milk
(unpasteurized milk) is better. With this practice of
drinking raw milk comes some increased risks of getting
sick. Below are some diseases associated with drinking raw
milk
| Disease |
Organism |
Symptoms and
Complications |
| 1.Campylobacteriosis |
Campylobacter sp. |
bloody diarrhea |
| 2. Salmonellosis |
Salmonella sp. |
bloody diarrhea |
| 3. Hemolytic Uremic
Syndrome |
E. coli O157:H7 |
diarrhea, kidney failure,
death |
| 4. Yersiniosis |
Yersinsia
enterocolitica |
diarrhea |
| 5. Listeriosis |
Listeria monocytogenes |
meningitis, blood
infections |
| 6. Tuberculosis |
Mycobacterium
tuberculosis |
tuberculosis; pneumonia |
| 7. Brucellosis |
Brucella sp. |
blood infections, heart
infections |
| 8. Cryptosporidiosis |
Cryptosporidium parvum |
diarrhea |
| 9. Staphylococcal
enterotoxin poisoning |
Staphylococcus aureus |
vomiting |
| 10. Q fever |
Coxiella burnetti |
high fever, severe
headache, muscle aches (can infect the liver and/or heart) |
|
