The term "food poisoning" can be very misleading. Many different types of bacteria and viruses can cause similar symptoms (just vomiting, vomiting and diarrhea, diarrhea only, abdominal pain only, etc.). These germs can be spread from contaminated food, as well as person-to-person, from animals to people, or from contaminated water. The term "food poisoning" can be confusing because these infections do not always come from food.