Once ingested (eaten) what happens to the bacteria?
They are partially killed off in the stomach from the low pH. Sufficient survivors can then colonize or grow in the intestines, disrupting digestion and causing symptoms (e.g. salmonellosis). Sometimes the bacterial can enter the blood stream from the intestines (e.g., listeriosis) or they generate a toxin that enters the blood stream and attacks particular organs (e.g., E. coli O157).
