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Campylobacter jejuni
The Campylobacter organism is actually a group of spiral-shaped bacteria that can cause disease in humans and animals. Most human illness is caused by Campylobacter jejuni.
Campylobacter jejuni grows best at the body temperature of a bird and seems to be well adapted to birds who carry it without becoming ill.
The bacterium is fragile. It cannot tolerate drying and can be killed by oxygen. It grows only if there is less than the atmospheric amount of oxygen present. Freezing reduces the number of Campylobacter bacteria present on raw meat.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of acute bacterial diarrhoea in the UK. Small numbers of the bacteria are able to cause an infection. Proper cooking, milk pasteurising and chlorination of water will all kill the bacteria.
| Onset | Symptoms & duration of illness |
| 1 to 10 days | Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhoea, cramping abdominal pain and fever within 2 to 5 days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhoea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Some people who are infected with Campylobacter dont have any symptoms at all. In people with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection. |
| Complications such as meningitis and endocarditis are possible. The illness may last from 7 days to several weeks. |
Foods incriminated:
Raw or undercooked meat and poultry, offal, contaminated milk and water. Contamination usually occurs from excreta of birds, animals including cattle, domestic pets and man. Wild birds pecking at milk bottle tops has been known to cause contamination.
Target Populations:
All sections of the population are vulnerable, in the UK, around 40,000 cases are reported annually.
