Food infection means

Correct option is D

When referring to food infection, both (a) and (b) describe types of foodborne illness that involve pathogens and toxins:
1. Ingestion of live pathogenic organisms (Option A): This is a classic definition of food infection, where you ingest live pathogens (like bacteria, viruses, or parasites) through contaminated food. These pathogens then multiply inside your body, leading to illness. The disease results from the pathogen's activity and growth inside the body.
2. Eating food that contains toxins released by pathogens (Option B): This refers to food poisoning (or food intoxication), where food contains toxins produced by bacteria, but the bacteria themselves are not necessarily alive or multiplying in the body. These toxins cause illness when ingested. A common example is Botulism caused by the toxin of Clostridium botulinum.
Thus, food infection can include both direct infection from live pathogens and illness caused by toxin ingestion, which leads to the correct answer being More than one of the above.
Information Booster:
· Food infection refers to the ingestion of live pathogens, like Salmonella or E. coli, which multiply and cause illness inside the body.
· Food intoxication is a separate condition, where toxins produced by pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridium botulinum, cause illness without the need for the pathogens themselves to multiply within the body.
· Foodborne illness can be caused by either mechanism: live pathogens or toxins released by pathogens.