Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the U.S. Nearly 100% of people infected with Campylobacter recover without specific treatment. However, if left untreated the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening infection for people with compromised immune systems.
1Practice safe food handling to prevent Campylobacter infections:
- Cook all poultry products thoroughly. Make sure that the meat is cooked all through (no pink inside) and the juices run clear. All poultry should be cooked a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- If you are presented with undercooked poultry in a restaurant, send it back for proper cooking.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with running water and soap before preparing food.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after handling raw foods and before touching anything else. Pay particular attention to anything under your fingernails.
- Use separate cutting boards for meats and poultry (and other foods). Thoroughly clean all cutting boards, counter tops, and utensils with soap and hot water after preparing raw meats and poultry.
- Avoid unpasteurized milk and untreated surface water.
- Make sure that people with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully and frequently to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
- Wash your hands with soap after coming into contact with pet droppings.
- Stay away from raw meats.
- Symptoms generally appear within 2-5 days after being exposed to the organism. Diarrhea may be bloody and accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness usually lasts 7 to 10 days. There are some people infected who have no symptoms.
- Unpasteurized milk can become contaminated if the cow has a Campylobacter infection in her udder, or if the milk is contaminated with manure.
- Infected feces from cows or wild birds can contaminate mountain streams and surface water.
- Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis will have the following symptoms:
- Since many other infections can cause the same symptoms, campylobacteriosis must be tested for by a doctor. This usually consist of a stool specimen culture.
- The treatment for the infection is to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. If the infection is more severe, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics to lessen the length of time you suffer with symptoms.
- If you recently added a kitten or puppy to your household, take the animal to a veterinarian immediately if they develop persistent, watery diarrhea. The infection can be spread from an infected animal to a human. This is especially true when it comes to children who handle puppies and kittens near to their mouths.
- One drop of juice from raw chicken meat can infect a person.
- Chicken flocks can be infected with Campylobacter but show no signs of the illness.