Campylobacter infection is a common foodborne illness. You usually get it from eating contaminated food, especially raw or undercooked poultry. You can also get it from drinking contaminated water or raw milk, or handling infected animal feces (poop).

Some infected people don't have any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they start two to five days after you are infected. They usually last about one week, and can include

• Diarrhea (which could be bloody)
• Cramping
• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting

Health care providers use stool tests to make a diagnosis. Most people get better without treatment. You should drink extra fluids for as long as the diarrhea lasts. People who have a severe infection or a weakened immune system may need to take antibiotics. In rare cases, the infection can cause reactive arthritis or Guillain-Barre syndrome.

To prevent Campylobacter infection, cook poultry thoroughly. Use a separate cutting board and utensils for meats. Make sure to clean them carefully with soap and hot water after you use them.

What kind of germ is Campylobacter?

Campylobacter are bacteria that can make people and animals sick. Most human illness is caused by one species, called Campylobacter jejuni, but other species also can cause human illness.

How does food and water get contaminated with Campylobacter?

Many chickens, cows, and other birds and animals that show no signs of illness carry Campylobacter. Campylobacter can be carried in the intestines, liver, and giblets of animals and can be transferred to other edible parts of an animal when it’s slaughtered. In 2014, National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) testing found Campylobacter on 33% of raw chicken bought from retailers.

Milk can become contaminated when a cow has a Campylobacter infection in her udder or when milk is contaminated with manure. Other foods, such as fruits and vegetables, can be can become contaminated through contact with soil containing feces from cows, birds, or other animals. Animal feces can also contaminate lakes and streams. Pasteurization of milk, washing or scrubbing of fruits and vegetables, and disinfection of drinking water helps prevent illness.

How do people get infected with Campylobacter bacteria?

It takes very few Campylobacter germs (fewer than 500) to make someone sick. That means a single drop of juice from raw chicken can have enough Campylobacter in it to infect someone.

Most Campylobacter infections are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or from contamination of other foods by these items. People can get infected when a cutting board that has been used to cut and prepare raw chicken isn’t washed before it is used to prepare foods that are served raw or lightly cooked, such as salad or fruit. People also can get infected through contact with the feces of a dog or cat. Campylobacter does not usually spread from one person to another.

Outbreaks of Campylobacter infections have been associated most often with poultry, raw (unpasteurized) dairy products, untreated water, and produce.

Campylobacter infection is common in the developing world, and people who travel abroad have a greater chance of becoming infected. About 1 in 5 Campylobacter infections reported to the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) are associated with international travel.

Even more rarely, people may become infected through contaminated blood during a transfusion.

What is the incidence rate?

Active surveillance through the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) indicates that about 14 cases per 100,000 people are diagnosed each year. Many more cases go undiagnosed or unreported. CDC estimates that Campylobacter infection affects more than 1.3 million people in the United States every year.

What are the likely outcomes?

Most people who get Campylobacter infection recover completely within two to five days, although recovery can take up to 10 days. Campylobacter infection can result in long-term consequences such as arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). CDC estimates about 1 in every 1,000 reported Campylobacter illnesses leads to GBS.

Who is in the Risk Group?

Anyone can become infected with Campylobacter but campylobacteriosis is more common in males, children younger than 5 years, and people 65 years and older.

Most cases of Campylobacter infection occur after someone eats raw or undercooked poultry or eats another food that has been contaminated by raw or undercooked poultry. Outbreaks of Campylobacter infection are infrequently reported relative to the number of illnesses. Outbreaks have been associated with unpasteurized dairy products, contaminated water, poultry, and produce. People also can get infected from contact with the feces of a dog or cat. Person-to-person spread of Campylobacter is uncommon.

People with Campylobacter infection usually have diarrhea (often bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps. The diarrhea may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. These symptoms usually start within two to five days after exposure and last about a week. Some infected people do not have any symptoms. In people with weakened immune systems, such as people with the blood disorders thalassemia and hypogammaglobulinemia, AIDS, or people receiving some kinds of chemotherapy, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.

Campylobacter infection is diagnosed when a laboratory test detects Campylobacter bacteria in stool (poop), body tissue, or fluids. The test could be a culture that isolates the bacteria or a rapid diagnostic test that detects genetic material of the bacteria.

Most people recover from Campylobacter infection without antibiotic treatment. Patients should drink extra fluids as long as diarrhea lasts.

Some people with, or at risk for, severe illness might need antibiotic treatment. These people include those who are 65 years or older, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with a blood disorder, with AIDS, or receiving chemotherapy.

Some types of antibiotics may not work for some types of Campylobacter. When antibiotics are necessary, healthcare providers can use laboratory tests to help determine which type of antibiotics will likely be effective.

People who are prescribed antibiotics should take them exactly as directed and tell their healthcare provider if they do not feel better.

Most people with a Campylobacter infection recover completely within a week, although they may shed (get rid of) Campylobacter bacteria in their stool for several weeks after recovery, which might result in person-to-person transmission. Campylobacter infection rarely results in long-term consequences. Some studies have estimated that 5–20% of people with Campylobacter infection develop irritable bowel syndrome for a limited time and 1–5% develop arthritis.

About 1 in every 1,000 reported Campylobacter illnesses leads to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS happens when a person’s immune system is triggered by an earlier infection, such as Campylobacter infection. GBS can lead to muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis that can last for a few weeks to several years, and often requires intensive medical care. Most people recover fully, but some have permanent nerve damage, and some have died of GBS. As many as 40% of GBS cases in the United States may be triggered by Campylobacter infection.

Campylobacter can be controlled at a number of different points in the food production and marketing chain.

On the farm:

• Good sanitary practices on farms, as recommended by USDA, minimize the opportunity for the bacteria to spread among animals and birds.
• Pasteurization of milk and treatment of municipal water supplies eliminate another route of transmission for Campylobacter and other bacteria.

In the plant:

• Raw foods are not sterile, and there are no requirements that they be sterile. Food processing companies are accountable for following good, up-to-date manufacturing practices that minimize the opportunity for the spread of Campylobacter and other bacteria.

At retail:

• A food recall is a voluntary action by a manufacturer or distributor to protect the public from products that may cause health problems or possible death. FSIS conducts a sufficient number of effectiveness checks to verify the recalling firm has contacted the distributor or retailer.

Individuals:

• Reporting the problem is another way to control these bacteria and prevent others from becoming exposed to the source of contamination. Any individual that experiences symptoms of campylobacteriosis should contact a physician. Physicians who diagnose campylobacteriosis and clinical laboratories that identify this organism should report their findings to the local health department.

Meat and poultry can contain Campylobacter. However, the bacteria can be found in almost all raw poultry because it lives in the intestinal track of healthy birds. Improving safe food handling practices in kitchens will reduce the number of Campylobacter illnesses. Campylobacter bacteria are extremely fragile and are easily destroyed by cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature. They are also destroyed through typical water treatment systems. Freezing cannot be relied on to destroy the bacteria. Home freezers are generally not cold enough to destroy bacteria.

To destroy Campylobacter and minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses:

CLEAN: Wash Hands and Surfaces Often

• Wash your hands with warm soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.
• Wash utensils, cutting boards, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next item.
• Consider using paper towels to clean kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.

SEPARATE: Don't Cross-contaminate

• Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart and in your refrigerator.
• If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Always wash cutting boards, dishes, countertops, and utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Never place cooked food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

COOK: Cook to Safe Temperatures

Use a clean food thermometer when measuring the internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and other foods to make sure they have reached a safe minimum internal temperature:

• Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
• Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.
• Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.
• For optimum safety, cook stuffing separately to 165 °F (73.9 °C).
• Egg dishes, casseroles to 160 °F (71.1 °C).
• Fish should reach 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.
• Bring sauces, soups, and gravy to a boil when reheating.
• Reheat leftovers thoroughly to at least 165 °F (73.9 °C).

In addition, do not eat or drink foods containing raw, unpasteurized milk.

CHILL: Refrigerate Promptly

• Keep food safe at home, refrigerate promptly and properly. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours — 1 hour if the temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 °C).
• Freezers should register 0 °F (-17.8 °C) or below and refrigerators 40 °F (4.4 °C) or below.
• Thaw food in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Foods should not be thawed at room temperature. Foods thawed in the microwave or in cold water must be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature before refrigerating.
• Marinate foods in the refrigerator.
• Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
• Don't pack the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.