Campylobacter Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Campylobacter Blog

County and state health officials on Friday said several people have become ill after consuming water from a privately owned public water supply near Hebgen Lake.  The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has confirmed 14 cases of campylobacter gastrointestinal illness, a common sickness, the Gallatin County Health Department said in a statement Friday morning.

Information collected about the cases "strongly suggests that exposure occurred at the Campfire Lodge Resort," according to the statement. At least 70 more cases are considered "probable."  Along with county health agents and DPHHS, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Madison County Health Department are involved in the probe.

Camplobacteriosis symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and sometimes fever within two to five days of exposure, according to the statement. The illness typically lasts one week. Indirect transmission of the bacteria through consumption of contaminated food or water is the most common vector of infection.

Anyone with questions or concerns should talk to their doctor or the health department at 582-3100.

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According to last week's press reports, Boulder County Public Health officials on Friday said they’d identified at least 26 cases of people who said they became ill after drinking raw milk from Billy Goat Dairy.  That’s 10 people more than the county reported on Wednesday, when it announced it had launched an investigation and had ordered the Billy Goat Dairy to cease distributing raw, unpasteurized raw milk.  Illnesses reported so far have been E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter.

“Right now, we’re waiting for confirmed lab results” from the people who became sick and from the dairy at 7577 N. 107th St., Alden said, to determine whether the illnesses are linked to goat milk from the dairy.  “We can say that everyone who has reported illness also reported drinking raw milk from Billy Goat Dairy,” Alden said.

Two children were examined at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora after becoming ill. Alden said Friday that one is still hospitalized and remains in serious condition with hemolytic uremic syndrome.

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Journal Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Publisher IOS Press, ISSN 1305-7707 (Print), 1305-7693 (Online), Issue Volume 5, Number 2 / 2010, DOI 10.3233/JPI-2010-0234, Pages 199-201

Authors

Arnon Broides1, Raffi Lev-Tzion1, Eugene Leibovitz2

1Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
2Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

Abstract

We present a case of a child with generalized convulsions and dysentery caused by Campylobacter jejunii and review the pediatric literature published on this topic. Our case, as well as previous reports, suggests that in a child with convulsions and dysentery, the differential diagnosis should include shigellosis and also Campylobacter spp. infection. Because azithromycin provides appropriate coverage for both etiologies and in light of the present case, we suggest that it be considered in addition to parenteral ceftriaxone in severe cases of dysentery with or without convulsions.

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The Campylobacter outbreak that left more than 300 people in Saratoga Springs ill and triggered a boil order appears to be receding, according to the Utah County Department of Health.

"We're thinking that the outbreak is decreasing out there," said Joy Holbrook, a nurse epidemiologist with the department. "It has been several days since we've had any new cases from Saratoga Springs."

Though Holbrook said she couldn't predict when the outbreak would end, "the pattern would show that if it's continuing to decline, that it will just go away, and that's what we're hoping for."  Some Saratoga Springs residents are still reporting illness. Because the health department only receives cases of Campylobacter confirmed in a laboratory, Holbrook said there "may be some people who are sick that we are not aware of, who have not been tested."

Health department officials still are looking for the source of the contamination, which is responsible for 21 confirmed cases of Campylobacter and more than 300 probable cases. Holbrook said the small trace of organisms required to cause sickness and infection can be difficult to detect.

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The UCHD continues its epidemiological investigation of campylobacter in the Saratoga Springs area. With the assistance of the Utah Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Case Definitions" have been established. These are used to classify individuals for statistical reporting purposes, and gives public health the opportunity to find trends in disease, sources, etc.

Individuals are considered "Confirmed Cases" of this outbreak if they lived and/or visited the area since April 12th, have had symptoms consistent with campylobacter (diarrhea, vomiting) after April 13th, and have a laboratory test confirming campylobacter. Individuals are "Probable Cases" is they have all the above except the lab confirmation.

As of May 20th, the UCHD has reported 17 confirmed cases and 333 probable cases in connection with this outbreak. The UCHD is continuing the investigation, as well as notifying physicians of the outbreak and making recommendations for residents. The UCHD continues to be concerned about secondary infections, and would advise precaution for anyone who is or has been sick in the last 10 days (see link below).

If you believe you or your family members have been effected by this outbreak, please contact the UCHD Office of Epidemiology at 801-851-7037 or by emailing uchlth.lisag@state.ut.us.

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Utah health officials have linked a Campylobacter outbreak to raw milk purchased from Ropelato Dairy in Ogden, Utah.

The Utah Department of Health announced Monday it has suspended the dairy’s permit to sell unpasteurized milk due to the outbreak. Nine individuals in Weber, Davis and Cache counties, all of whom have since recovered, were diagnosed with Campylobacter after drinking raw milk from the farm during the outbreak.

The farm stopped selling raw milk after learning one person became sick, and may permanently halt unpasteurized milk sales altogether, Bob Ropelato, co-owner of Ropelato Dairy said to The Standard-Examiner.

Campylobacteriosis can spread through contaminated food and water, and may cause vomiting, cramping, abdominal pain, fever and muscle pain. In rare cases some people can develop arthritis or Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis.

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Guillain-Barre syndrome is a condition in which the body's immune systems attack its nerves, often after infection with a respiratory bug or stomach flu.

Although acute cases are an emergency, most people recover completely, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Q: What are its symptoms?

A: While its first symptoms are usually weakness and numbness in the extremities, it can eventually paralyze the entire body, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Symptoms are often worst in the first two or three weeks.

In 5% to 10% of cases, the muscles that control breathing become so weak that patients need to be put on a ventilator. In another 10% of cases, muscles that control swallowing are so weakened that patients need to be fed through a tube into the stomach.

Q: How is it treated?

A: Doctors may cleanse the blood, removing harmful antibodies, or give patients a treatment called immune globulin, with protective antibodies with donors, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Q: Do people recover?

A: Most patients improve slowly over several months, even without treatment, according to the Merck Manual. Early treatment can speed up recovery, allowing patients to improve within days or weeks. Although there's no known cure, treatment can ease recovery, according to the Mayo Clinic.

About 30% of adults still suffer from some muscle weakness three years later, however. Fewer than 5% of patients die in the early stages of the disease.

Q: How common is it?

A: Guillain-Barre affects one or two out of every 100,000 people.

Q: What causes it?

A: Doctors don't know the exact cause of Guillain-Barre, and some cases appear without any clear trigger, according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the most common triggers is campylobacter, a type of bacteria often found in undercooked chicken or other food. Guillain-Barre has also been triggered by surgery; the Epstein-Barr virus; Hodgkin's disease; mononucleosis; HIV, the virus that causes AIDS; and rabies.

In an infamous outbreak in 1976, hundreds of people who received a swine flu vaccine developed Guillain-Barre, although scientists question whether the shots were really the cause. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not seen any increase in Guillain-Barre related to vaccination against the H1N1 virus.

Q: How is the immune system involved?

A: The disease occurs when the immune system — which typically protects the body from illness by attacking viruses and other foreign invaders — instead attacks the myelin sheath, a coating that protects the nerves. Damage to this critical coating, which acts like insulation, interferes with the way that nerves send signals between the body and brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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Press reports that the Mercy Family Health Line is reporting an increase in call volume of patients who have diarrhea and abdominal pain issues. Health officials say hand washing is the best preventative measure you can take.  To treat it, get plenty of fluids. Water is best, and keep the diet bland.

Nurses with mercy also say Campylobacter infection is causing people troubles right now.
The infectious disease is caused by a bacterium and is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in the U.S. Most cases are associated with handling raw poultry or eating raw or undercooked poultry meat.

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