Many people enjoy a rare steak or hamburger, but eating undercooked meat poses health risks. If you experience diarrhea, vomiting or cramps in your stomach after eating rare beef, you may have an intestinal disorder, also known as food poisoning. Many cases clear up on their own, but contact your doctor if symptoms persist for several days because you may need medical treatment to prevent dehydration and other complications.
E.coli
E. coli is associated with eating undercooked beef and is more common during the summer. It is caused by bacteria and causes severe diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and stomach cramps. Cooking beef until well-done kills the E. coli bacteria, but eating it rare may make you sick. E. coli is contagious and can be passed by people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom and can also be passed through food that has been touched by contaminated hands.
Tapeworms
If a cow has tapeworms and you eat undercooked meat butchered from that cow, you are at risk of the intestinal disorder as well. Tapeworms are rare in the United States, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but eating rare beef increases the risk. Tapeworms are parasitic and an infection may produce stomach pain, weight loss and an obstruction in the intestinal tract, although some people who have tapeworms don't have any symptoms. Tapeworm eggs may remain in your intestines for up to 30 years.
Salmonella
Salmonella can be contracted through many types of undercooked meat, beef included. It produces symptoms such as fever, diarrhea and cramps. It is most commonly associated with undercooked chicken and eggs, but beef that has come into contact with feces while being butchered may also harbor salmonella. Poor hand washing practices in restaurants and at home can also pass salmonella to beef. When beef is thoroughly cooked, the heat kills salmonella bacteria, but if it is served rare, you may be ingesting enough to make you sick.
Campylobacter
The campylobacter bacteria can produce fever, cramps and bloody diarrhea. Eating rare beef is one way to contract campylobacter, which can cause several health complications including arthritis, meningitis, urinary tract infections and paralysis. Cooking beef until well-done will kill campylobacter and reduce your risk of becoming ill. The bacteria can also be passed to beef by someone who has the germs on their hands and does not wash them off before preparing the meat, but hand washing will eliminate it.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians; E.coli Infection; May 1999
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Foodborne Illness; December 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Foodborne Illness and Disease
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Campylobacter Questions and Answers
- Mayo Clinic; Salmonella Infection; April 2011
