Campylobacteriosis

I came across this article Pennsylvania health department says more people may have been sickened by raw milk.   The illnesses were caused by a bacteria call Campylobacter, so I thought we'd briefly talk about Campylobacteriosis.

Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial disease most commonly caused by Camylobacter jejuni.  It is a major cause of foodborne illness, estimated to affect 2 million people in the US every year.

How do you get it?

It is found in the feces of clinically healthy poultry, cattle, swine as well as dogs and cats.  Poultry is a major reservoir and virtually all chicken and turkey contain the organism.

Sources of contaminated food include  

• Undercooked poultry, pork, shellfish
• Water
• Raw (unpasteurized) milk and milk products
• People can also get Campylobacter by coming into contact with infected animals feces

Clinical signs in humans

• High fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, profuse watery diarrhea
• Typically lasts 5 to 7 days
• Deaths are rare
• In rare cases it can lead to a syndrome called Guillain-Barre, which is a nervous system disease that causes progressive muscular weakness of extremities that can lead to paralysis 

Prevention

• Pasteurization of milk and milk products – there is a reason why we do it!
• Proper treatment of drinking water
• Proper cooking of foods of animal origin - All poultry should be cooked to reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.
• Proper washing of hands while handling raw food and avoid cross contamination
• Proper washing of hands after contact with animals and animal feces