Glossary of terms - 2021

Glossary of terms

Botulism: is caused by botulinum toxin, a poison produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum. The organism is common in the soil and aquatic sediments and can survive in these environments as a resistant spore.

Campylobacter: Commonest reported bacterial cause of infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales. Two species account for the majority of infections: C. jejuni and C. coli. Illness is characterised by severe diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Listeria monocytogenes: Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria that can cause listeriosis in humans.

Pathogen: An infectious microorganism, bacteria, virus or other agent that can cause disease by infection.

Salmonella: A genus of Gram-negative bacteria which can cause salmonellosis in humans.  Specific types of Salmonella are normally given a name, for example Salmonella Typhimurium has full name Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. 

Toxin: A poison, often a protein produced by some plants, certain animals, fungi and pathogenic bacteria, which can be highly toxic for other living organisms.