Q26. How is food poisoning diagnosed?
A26. Your GP will make this diagnosis. He or she will ask you about your illness before carrying out an examination.
You will be asked about your medical history, the types of foods you have eaten and when (and where from) and if you have recently been on holiday.
The reason for the last question is that many people contract food poisoning whilst on holiday.
You will undergo tests such as blood and urine and will also be asked for a ‘stool sample’.
A stool sample is a small sample of faeces which undergoes laboratory analysis to determine the cause of the illness. The laboratory will be able to determine the source, e.g. the type of bacteria and the extent of the illness.
The results of this will help your GP to decide upon a suitable form of treatment.
Find out more in our treatment for food poisoning section.
FAQS Index : Food Poisoning FAQ
- What causes food poisoning?
- Who is more likely to get food poisoning?
- Is food poisoning worse for some people than others?
- Can the symptoms of food poisoning be mistaken for another illness?
- Who has a higher risk of food poisoning?
- What are the symptoms of food poisoning?
- Which foods are most likely to cause food poisoning?
- What is e coli?
- What is salmonella?
- What is campylobacter?
- What is listeria?
- What is norovirus?
- What is staphylococcus?
- Which parasites cause food poisoning?
- Which wild mushrooms cause food poisoning?
- Should you contact your GP if you have food poisoning?
- How do you treat food poisoning?
- Are there any complications with food poisoning?
- I have developed food poisoning after eating a takeaway: should I report this?
- Can you prevent food poisoning?
- What is cross contamination?
- What is ‘food irradiation?’
- Why is listeria dangerous for pregnant women?
- What are the risks of food poisoning in children?
- Why are older people likely to get food poisoning?
- How is food poisoning diagnosed?
- What is dehydration?
- What is food safety?
- How common is food poisoning?
- What is the outlook for food poisoning?
Food Poisoning Guide
- Food Poisoning
- What is food poisoning?
- Food poisoning or gastroenteritis?
- High risk for food poisoning
- Foods which are likely to cause food poisoning
- Types of food poisoning
- Chicken food poisoning
- Beef food poisoning
- Pork food poisoning
- Fish food poisoning
- Ciguatera poisoning
- Scombroid poisoning
- Bacterial food poisoning
- E coli
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Salmonella
- Clostridium botulinum
- Listeria
- Shigella
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- Vibrio cholerae
- Bacillus cereus
- Clostridium perfringens
- Yersinia Enterocolitica
- Enterobacter sakazakii
- Viral food poisoning
- Noroviruses
- Rotavirus
- Adenovirus
- Parasites
- Toxoplasma
- Giardia
- Cryptosporidium
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Toxins
- Mushroom toxins
- Red kidney bean toxins
- Shellfish toxins
- Pesticides
- Causes of food poisoning
- Contamination
- Cross-contamination
- Symptoms of food poisoning
- Diagnosing food poisoning
- Treatment for food poisoning
- Home based treatment
- Medical treatment
- Follow up treatment
- Complications of food poisoning
- Lactose intolerance
- Anaemia
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Kidney failure
- Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- Reactive arthritis
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Pericarditis
- Reporting food poisoning
- Preventing food poisoning
- Cleaning
- Cooking
- Chilling
- Cross contamination
- Food irradiation
- Food safety and your family
- Pregnancy and food poisoning
- Babies and food poisoning
- Children and food poisoning
- Teenagers and food poisoning
- Elderly and food poisoning
- Research into food poisoning
- Food Poisoning FAQs
- Glossary