Causes of Campylobacter food poisoning

Cause of Campylobacter food poisoning: Raw or undercooked chicken or foods exposed to chicken.

Cause of Campylobacter food poisoning: Contaminated food (particularly poultry), water, or contact with infected animals (particularly cats and puppies). ¹

These bacteria live in the intestines of healthy birds, and most raw poultry meat has Campylobacter on it. Eating undercooked chicken, or other food that has been contaminated with juices dripping from raw chicken is the most frequent source of this infection. ²

Triggers list for Campylobacter food poisoning: The list of triggers mentioned in source as possible causal factors for Campylobacter food poisoning includes:

Raw poutry
Cattle

Cause details for Campylobacter food poisoning: 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 one species, called Campylobacter jejuni, but 1% of human Campylobacter cases are caused by other species. 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. ³

Campylobacteriosis 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 handling raw poultry or eating raw or undercooked poultry meat. A very small number of Campylobacter organisms (fewer than 500) can cause illness in humans. Even 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 board or utensil to prepare vegetables or other raw or lightly cooked foods. The Campylobacter organisms from the raw meat can then spread to the other foods. The organism is not usually spread from person to person, but this can happen if the infected person is a small child or is producing a large volume of diarrhea. Larger outbreaks due to Campylobacter are not usually associated with raw poultry but are usually related to drinking unpasteurized milk or contaminated water. Animals can also be infected, and some people have acquired their infection from contact with the infected stool of an ill dog or cat. ³

Many chicken flocks are silently infected with Campylobacter; that is, the chickens are infected with the organism but show no signs of illness. Campylobacter can be easily spread from bird to bird through a common water source or through contact with infected feces. When an infected bird is slaughtered, Campylobacter can be transferred from the intestines to the meat. More than half of the raw chicken in the United States market has Campylobacter on it. Campylobacter is also present in the giblets, especially the liver.

Unpasteurized milk can become contaminated if the cow has an infection with Campylobacter in her udder or the milk is contaminated with manure. Surface water and mountain streams can become contaminated from infected feces from cows or wild birds. This infection is common in the developing world, and travelers to foreign countries are also at risk for becoming infected with Campylobacter.³

Most people get campylobacteriosis by handling raw poultry or eating raw or undercooked poultry meat. Large outbreaks due to Campylobacter are usually associated with drinking unpasteurized milk or contaminated water. Animals can also be infected, and some people have gotten infected by contact with the infected stool of an ill dog or cat.⁴

Related information for causes of Campylobacter food poisoning: Further relevant information on causes of Campylobacter food poisoning may be found in the risk factors for Campylobacter food poisoning and underlying causes of Campylobacter food poisoning.

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Campylobacter Infections: DBMD
2. excerpt from Foodborne Infections General: DBMD
3. excerpt from Campylobacter Infections General: DBMD
4. excerpt from Foodborne Diseases, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID

Medical Tools & Articles:

Next articles:

Medical Articles: