Campylobacter Blog - Surveillance & analysis on Campylobacter news & outbreaks

May 28, 2006
The Reporter (Vacaville, CA)

More than 1,300 inmates in 11 state prisons have been diagnosed since mid-May with a bacterial infection that causes flu-like symptoms.

Nearly three dozen of these are inmates at California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

The illness, caused by a bacteria called campylobacter, was first reported at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy on May 16, said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

May 24, 2006
LA Times
Jenifer Warren

SACRAMENTO -- Nearly 1,300 inmates at nine California prisons have been stricken with gastroenteritis, according to corrections officials, who remain stumped by the source of the bacterial outbreak.

Some inmates have been hospitalized, but most have been treated in their cells for vomiting, fever, headaches, diarrhea and cramping caused by Campylobacter bacteria. A small number of staff members also have become ill.

The symptoms surfaced at Deuel Vocational Institute in Tracy, east of San Francisco, where 379 inmates have fallen ill since May 16. The contagious disease has since struck inmates at state prisons elsewhere in the San Joaquin Valley and also in Folsom, the Sierra foothills and Norco in Riverside County.

May 20, 2006
The North Bay Nugget

POWASSAN -- Customers of the Kwik-way Variety Store at 497 Main St. have been advised by health officials not to drink bagged milk purchased between May 13 and 18.

Dr. Catherine Whiting, medical officer of health, issued the localized food recall Friday afternoon.

"This precautionary recall is due to reported cases of illness which may be related to the consumption of milk products sold from this location,"
stated a North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit media release.

Last Update: Tuesday, May 16, 2006. 11:19am (AEST)

A south-east South Australian environmental health officer has warned about a bacteria found on raw poultry and on animals, which he believes is on the increase.

Naracoorte Lucindale Council's Dr Bob Netherton says the campylobacter bacteria commonly causes gastroenteritis, but can also cause other illnesses.

During a recent presentation to Tatiara District Council, Dr Netherton said the infection is linked to Gillain Barre Syndrome, which causes paralysis.

"Campylobacter is out of control in South Australia and now it has been increasing associated to Gillain Barre Syndrome, so we do need to know a little bit about that," he said.

"The way campylobacter affects the immune system to produce Gillain Barre Syndrome is known and the sooner we do something about it, the better."

Ways to control the spread of the bacteria include safe food handling practices and washing hands after dealing with animals.

May 11, 2006
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Laura A. Bischoff

COLUMBUS -- The debate about milk unpasteurized, straight from the cow reached state lawmakers Wednesday.

A bill pending in the House Agriculture Committee would allow licensed farmers to sell raw milk directly to consumers.

Bill advocates packed a Statehouse hearing room and sang the praises of raw milk.

May 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 5 pp. 1024-1027(4)
Gharst, Greg; Hanson, Dana; Kathariou, S.

Abstract:
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are leading bacterial causes of human gastroenteritis in the United States and other industrialized nations. These organisms frequently colonize avian hosts, including commercial poultry, but are also found in the gastrointestinal tract of other warm-blooded animals, including swine, sheep, and cattle. This study investigated the effect of direct culture versus selective enrichment on the isolation of thermophilic Campylobacter from the colon of 610 cattle. Fecal samples were taken from the colon of mature cattle (older than 30 months of age) immediately after slaughter in a commercial abattoir over a period of 17 months. Campylobacter was isolated from 23.4% of the animals. Most (93%) of the culture-confirmed Campylobacter isolates were C. jejuni, with the remaining 7% being C. coli. Additionally, of the 143 samples from which pure cultures of Campylobacter could be isolated, 72 (50.3%) were positive only with selective enrichment, 18 (12.6%) were positive only with direct plating, and 53 (37.1%) were positive by both methods. The data suggest that, even though selective enrichment was more effective than direct plating, both direct plating and selective enrichment protocols might need to be employed for optimal surveillance of C. jejuni in fecal material from cattle.

May 3, 2006
Stuff (New Zealand)
Nikki MacDonald

Public health experts are taking up their magnifying glasses, looking for clues to explain why New Zealand has the highest campylobacter rates in the world.

Notified cases of the nasty stomach bug increased again last year, after a brief drop in 2004, Environmental Science and Research's 2005 notifiable diseases annual report shows.

Case numbers have risen by 75 per cent in the past five years, from about 8000 to almost 14,000 last year. New Zealand's rates are the highest in the developed world, and Wellington rates are consistently some of the highest in the country.