Created by: Alexandrea, Erika, Menna and Tia Campylobacter Created by: Alexandrea, Erika, Menna and Tia

What is it? A bacterium that sometimes causes abortion in animals and food poisoning in humans. infectious caused by bacteria of the genus campylobacter. Spreads to bloodstream and causes a serious life threatening infection.

Is it common today? It is more common for infants to young adults than from older age groups and males are more common to catch campylobacter than females would. campylobacter infection doesn't commonly cause death, but about 76 persons with this infection die each year. In the US over 6,000 cases of campylobacter infection have been reported in 2009 alone.

Foods that it is associated with Mostly found in chicken >88% of chicken carcasses Raw and uncooked poultry (chicken,turkey,etc) Unpasteurized milk Contaminated water (dirty ice cubes)

Symptoms Diarrhea: ranges from mild to severe and can be bloody Fever Nausea Vomiting Abdominal pain Headache Muscle pain

How can it be avoided? Some general rules to food preparation when it comes to Campylobacter is: Washing your foods properly (specifically poultry) Wash hands with soap before and after food handling and after meals When cooking poultry make sure it is cooked through Preventing cross contamination When drinking milk, make sure it is pasteurized When coming in touch with animal feces wash hand properly with soap

Common medical treatments It is known that Campylobacter does go away on it’s own between 7-10 days and 5 days with antibiotics for a healthy person. Some antibiotics that help to fight off the disease are: Azithromycin/Zithromax Levofloxacin Ciprofloxacin/Cipro Loperamide/Imodium (Recommended for diarrhea)

Recent case So having heard that Campylobacter is a common cause of gastroenteritis in the United States. Recent population-based case-control study was conducted by Infectious Diseases Society of America to determine risk factors for sporadic Campylobacter infection. The study lasted for 12-months. During that period of time, 1316 patients with culture-confirmed Campylobacter infections were enrolled from 7 states, collecting demographic, clinical, and exposure data using a standardized questionnaire. 1 matched control subject for each case patient was interviewed .

Recent Case Thirteen percent of patients had traveled abroad. In multivariate analysis of persons who had not traveled, the largest population attributable fraction (PAF) of 24% was related to consumption of chicken prepared at a restaurant. The PAF for consumption of non poultry meat that was prepared at a restaurant was also large (21%); smaller proportions of illness were associated with other food and nonfood exposures. Efforts to reduce contamination of poultry with Campylobacter should benefit public health. So it is clear that Restaurants should improve food-handling practices, ensure adequate cooking of meat and poultry, and consider purchasing poultry that has been treated to reduce Campylobacter contamination.

Interesting fact Less than 500 Campylobacter bacteria are needed to make you sick One small drop of contaminated meat juice may be enough to infect you Chickens are often hosts for the bacteria, but display no symptoms The bacteria are well-adapted to colonising birds; but it is not fully understood why poultry usually display no symptoms It usually takes 2-5 days from consumption of contaminated chicken before illness occurs This is due to the time needed for the infection to be established inside the human body

Sources Campylobacter. (2014). Retrieved September 07, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/campylobacter/index.html Campylobacteriosis Guide: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options. (n.d.). Retrieved September 09, 2016, from https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/campylobacteriosis.html Campylobacter. (n.d.). Retrieved September 09, 2016, from http://www.foodborneillness.com/campylobacter_food_poisoning/ @. (n.d.). Campylobacter. Symptoms of campylobacter, diarrhoea. | Patient. Retrieved September 09, 2016, from http://patient.info/health/campylobacter-leaflet The BioCote Team BioCote is the world's leading antimicrobial additive supplier. With over 20 years' experience, we are experts in antimicrobial technology and are dedicated to helping businesses around the world create products that are more hygienic and protected against the negative effects of bacteria, mould and fungi. (2016). 5 facts about Campylobacter - BioCote. Retrieved September 12, 2016, from http://www.biocote.com/blog/5-facts-about-campylobacter/