Diseases & Conditions

Campylobacter

Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. This infectious disease is one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States. The vast majority of cases occur as isolated, sporadic events, not as part of recognized outbreaks. Campylobacteriosis is estimated to affect over 2.4 million persons every year, or 0.8% of the population. It occurs much more frequently in the summer months than the winter.

The organism is isolated from infants and young adults more frequently than from persons in other age groups and from males more frequently than females. Although Campylobacter does not commonly cause death, it has been estimated that approximately 124 persons with the infection die each year.

Signs & Syptoms

Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts one week. Some infected persons do not have symptoms. In persons with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.

Many different kinds of infections can cause diarrhea and bloody diarrhea. Campylobacter infection is diagnosed when a culture of a stool specimen yields the organism.

Infection

Infection usually occurs in single, sporadic cases, but it can also occur in outbreaks, when a number of people become ill at one time. Most cases of campylobacteriosis are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry meat or from cross-contamination of other foods by these items. Infants can get the infection by contact with poultry packages in shopping carts.

Outbreaks of Campylobacter are usually associated with unpasteurized milk or contaminated water. Animals can also be infected, and some people have acquired their infection from contact with the stool of an ill dog or cat. The organism is not usually spread from one person to another, but this can happen if the infected person is producing a large volume of diarrhea.

A very small number of Campylobacter organisms (less than 500) can cause illness in humans. Just one drop of juice from raw chicken meat can infect a person. One way to become infected is to cut poultry meat on a cutting board, and then use the unwashed cutting or utensil to prepare vegetables or other raw or lightly cooked foods.

Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention give simple food handling practices that can help prevent Campylobacter infections:

• Cook all poultry products thoroughly. Make sure that the meat is cooked throughout (no longer pink) and any juices run clear. All poultry should be cooked to reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
• If you are served undercooked poultry in a restaurant, send it back for further cooking.
• Wash hands with soap before preparing food.
• Wash hands with soap after handling raw foods of animal origin and before touching anything else.
• Prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen by using separate cutting boards for foods of animal origin and other foods and by carefully cleaning all cutting boards, countertops, and utensils with soap and hot water after preparing raw food of animal origin.
• Avoid consuming unpasteurized milk and untreated surface water.
• Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully and frequently with soap to reduce the risk of spreading the infection,
• Wash hands with soap after contact with pet feces.

Source: www.cdc.gov