April 2005

Diarrhea is the most consistent and prominent manifestation of campylobacter infection. It is often bloody.5 Typical symptoms of C. jejuni infection also include fever, nausea, and vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain. A majority of cases are mild and do not require hospitalization and may be self-limited. However, Campylobacter jejuni infection can be severe

Campylobacter jejuni (Pronounced “camp-e-low-back-ter j-june-eye”) was not recognized as a cause of human foodborne illness prior to 1975. Now, the bacterial organism is known to be the most common cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the U.S.1 (Salmonella is the second most common cause).
Most cases Campylobacter infection occur as isolated, sporadic events, not as

Food is the most common vehicle for the spread of Campylobacter. Poultry is the most common food implicated. Some case-control studies indicate that up to 70% of sporadic cases of campylobacteriosis are associated with eating chicken.
Surveys by the USDA demonstrated that up to 88% of the broiler chicken carcasses in the USA are contaminated with Campylobacter while a recent Consumer Reports study identified Campylobacter in 63% of more then 1000 chickens obtained in grocery stores. Other identified food vehicles include unpasteurized milk, undercooked meats, mushrooms, hamburger, cheese, pork, shellfish, and eggs.Continue Reading Where does Campylobacter come from?

Amy L. Becker Staff Writer
Apr 1, 2005 (CIDRAP News) — A study of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter levels on retail chicken products suggests that the pathogen lingers in chickens long after antibiotic use among the birds is stopped.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that sizable percentages of retail chicken samples from two large companies had antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter on them even though the companies had stopped treating their flocks with the antibiotic in question a year earlier.
In addition, the researchers found that chicken samples from those two companies were more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter on them than were samples from two companies that marketed their products as completely antibiotic-free.Continue Reading Drug-resistant bacteria linger on chicken, study finds

2005-04-16
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed important declines in foodborne infections due to common bacterial pathogens in 2004.
For the first time, cases of E. coli O157 infections, one of the most severe foodborne diseases, are below the national Healthy People 2010 health goal. From 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157 infections decreased 42 percent. Campylobacter infections decreased 31 percent, Cryptosporidium dropped 40 percent, and Yersinia decreased 45 percent.Continue Reading Foodborne Illnesses Continue Downward Trend: 2010 Health Goals For E. Coli 0157 Reached

By Alex Dominguez
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE — Antibiotic-resistant bacteria continued to be found in chickens bought at area supermarkets a year after two large poultry producers stopped using an antibiotic blamed for creating the resistant strains, Johns Hopkins researchers report.
The researchers say the findings suggest antibiotic-resistant bacteria may persist in the poultry industry after the use of the antibiotics, known as fluoroquinolones, has stopped and may contaminate more poultry than previously thought.
However, one of the producers and a researcher not involved with the study said the study did not show whether the amount of bacteria found presented a health risk. They also said the findings were not clear on whether the resistant strains were naturally present or use of the antibiotic caused the resistant strains.Continue Reading Tough bugs persist on poultry