Nancy Stehulak
Campylobacter jejuni is probably the most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States, with even more occurrences than salmonella. These bacteria are fairly widespread, occurring in humans and animals, skin, soil, and water. They can live in any setting that provides nutrients, moisture, oxygen at room temperature.
Campylobacter have been known as the cause of diseases in animals since 1909, but they have been generally recognized only recently as a cause of the human disease, campylobacteriosis. The increase in reports in the United States must be due to increased awareness and better laboratory techniques. Campylobacteriosis is a very widespread diarrheal disease in the developing world, commonly affecting babies and young children. Campylobacter occur widely in many animals, especially chickens and turkeys.
The illness can be mistaken for a stomach flu and attacks the very young, the very old and those with weakened immune systems.
Campylobacteria are generally spread by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Contact with infected people or animals can also spread the disease. Campylobacteria will not readily grow in food. The risk of infection is greater with the consumption of raw or under cooked food of animal origin. This risk can be avoided by consuming only pasteurized milk and thoroughly cooking meat and poultry; by obtaining water from approved sources; and by good hygiene in the kitchen. Household pets with diarrhea have often been shown to be the source of infection for many. Irradiation readily destroys Campylobacter and it can be used to greatly reduce the incidence on poultry.
Symptoms vary from mild (with very few signs of illness) to severe (with bloody diarrhea as the most characteristic symptom). Other symptoms are: fever, nausea, abdominal cramps and sometimes vomiting. The duration of the illness is usually two to ten days, but symptoms, particularly abdominal cramps, may recur for up to three months after the infection.
Most people infected with campylobacteria will recover on their own or require fluids to prevent dehydration. Antibiotics are occasionally used to treat severe cases or to shorten the carrier phase, which may be important for food handlers, children in day care, and health care workers.
Since the organism is passed in the feces, only people with active diarrhea who are unable to control their bowel habits (infants, young children, certain handicapped individuals, for example) should be isolated. Most infected people may return to work or school when their stools become formed if they carefully wash their hands after toilet visits. Food handlers, children in day care, and health care workers must obtain the approval of the local or state health department before returning to their routine activities.
1. New York State Department of Health, Communicable Disease Fact Sheet, Campylobacteriosis, April 1996.
2. Institute of Food Science & Technology: Foodborne Campylobacteriosis - and How to Safeguard Against It, 1995-96.
3. Nutrition for Living, Christian, Janet and Greger, Janet. The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., Fourth Edition, 1994.
For more information on foodborne illness, contact your local county Extension Agent. See also the additional fact sheets on foodborne illness.
In 1990, an outbreak of Campylobacter enteritis occurred at a camp near Christchurch, New Zealand. The outbreak occurred at a modern camp and convention center that hosts over 15,000 visitors each year. The facility caters to schools and church and youth groups and provides meals, housing, and indoor and outdoor recreation for visitors. Water at the camp, obtained from three springs on the premises, was neither chlorinated nor filtered before use. On September 4, the health board received reports that two persons had been hospitalized with Campylobacter enteritis and a number of children who visited the camp had become ill with vomiting and headaches. All persons at the camp were interviewed to identify cases of Campylobacter enteritis and risk factors for infection with Campylobacter. Symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache, nausea, fever, and vomiting. Investigations determined that ill campers drank more unboiled water than did persons who were not ill and were more likely to drink water obtained from one particular spring. Coliform counts of water specimens from all three springs indicated fecal contamination. Torrential rains during the middle of August may have facilitated the seepage of surface contamination from private farmland that was used for grazing.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, MMWR 40, 1991
This material is based on work supported by the Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under special project number 96-EFSF-0-3500.
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