Campylobacter

BY : JOHN PATRICK NANTA

What is Campylobacter?
Campylobacter is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria
and typically appear as comma or s-shaped. The name
“Campylobacter” means “curved bacteria”, and was first
described by Theodor Escherich in 1886. It causes an
infection called Campylobacterosis. Campylobacterosis is
an infection commonly caused by campylobacter jejuni or
c.jejuni, a species of campylobacter bacterium. It is among
the most common bacterial infections of humans, often
a foodborne illness.
How does a person get Campylobacter
infection or campylobacterosis?
Campylobacter can be found in the gut and faeces (poo) of animals and is commonly found in
or on raw poultry. You become infected with Campylobacter by taking in the bacteria through your
mouth. This can be by:
 eating contaminated, undercooked meat, especially chicken
 drinking contaminated water or unpasteurized milk
 eating food (such as salad) that has been cross-contaminated with Campylobacter from raw
meats/poultry
 handling young pets, other animals, raw meat and pet meat
 person-to-person spread. Although less common, this can still happen when there is contact with
microscopic amounts of faeces from an ill person. Such spread may occur directly by close
personal contact, or indirectly by touching contaminated surfaces such as taps, toilet flush
buttons, toys and nappies.
What are the symptoms and effects of it?
  
Common symptoms include diarrhea (which may also contain mucus and/or
blood) or dysentery, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever as high as 40.
These symptoms usually start 2 to 5 days after the person ingests Campylobacter
and last about one week.
 Sometimes Campylobacter infections cause complications, such as Irritable bowel
syndrome, temporary paralysis, and arthritis.
 In people with weakened immune systems, such as those with a blood disorder,
with AIDS, or receiving chemotherapy, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to
the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.
 How to prevent & treat
Campylobacterosis
You can prevent having campybacterosis by:

 Washing your hands
 Use different cutting boards for meat and vegetables
 Cooking food to the right temperature(especially raw poultry at 165 at minimum)
 Drinking pasteurized milk
 Not drinking untreated water.
 Taking care of pets properly
You can treat campylobacterosis by:
 Drink plenty of fluids such as plain water or oral rehydration drinks (available from pharmacies) to avoid
dehydration. Dehydration is especially dangerous for babies and the elderly.
 Antibiotic treatments
Thank you for
Listening!