According to published reports, the number of confirmed illnesses in a campylobacter outbreak has climbed to 12, including 8 persons from Pennyslvania and 4 in Maryland. The outbreak was first announced by the Pennyslvania Department of Health on January 27, 2012.
All of the ill persons consumed raw milk from Shankstead EcoFarm in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The
Laboratory test results show that the Campylobactor jejuni bacteria that caused diarrheal illness among 16 individuals who drank unpasteurized (raw) milk at a school event early this month in Raymond, Wisconsin was the same bacteria strain found in unpasteurized milk produced at a local farm, according to officials from the Department of Health Services (DHS)
Health officials from Michigan believe that the Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk from Forest Grove Dairy in Vandalia, Indiana is over. No illnesses have been reported in 3 weeks.
James McCurtis, public information officer for the state health department, said the department is confident that the privately sold raw milk is the source of the
In the wake of a campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk from Family Farms Cooperative in Indiana, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has suspended the permit of Pasture Maid Creamery to sell raw milk for human consumption. The suspension occurred after testing found Campylobacter in raw milk samples from the dairy. Notably, the tests were
.jpg)
Worldpoultry.com reported today that UK scientists and other experts are meeting in London to identify new methods to tackle campylobacter, which has been shown to affect 75% of Britain’s poultry flock.
A recent study by the Food Standards Agency found 65% of 3,000 samples of chicken bought in the UK was infected with the bacterium, which causes
It is a wonder that Campylobacter doesn’t get more attention as a public health scourge. It has long ruled the international kingdom of diarrhea as the most prevalent foodborne disease worldwide–the United States too–yet the average person walking down the street has probably never heard of it. Nonetheless, Campylobacter continues to cause more illnesses than any of its bacterial brethren.
Campylobacter, like E. coli, is a family of bacteria; and there are multiple strains of it that can make you sick. Campylobacter jejuni is the most common. The illnesses that Campylobacter infections cause are called Campylobacteriosis. The CDC receives about 10,000 reports a year, but it is estimated that between two and four million people are infected annually. The effects of Campylobacteriosis, like pretty much any foodborne pathogen, can run the gamut from several days of "flu-like" symptoms to, in extreme cases, death. CDC monitoring shows that approximately 124 people die every year from Campylobacteriosis. Moreover, recent studies have shown that infection by certain bacteria, including Campylobacter, significantly increases a victim’s risk of developing ongoing, or permanent gastrointestinal problems, including post-infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or even Irritable Bowel Disease (including Crohns). Finally, It is conservatively estimated that Campylobacteriosis illnesses cost $1 billion annually for medical care, lost wages, and other productivity losses.
Food is, of course, the most common vehicle for the spread of Campylobacter, and chicken is the most common food implicated. But an important fact to understand is that, even in chickens, Campylobacter is not a muscle-born bug–i.e. the bacteria lives in the intestines of chicken. Thus, contamination of chicken meat results, ultimately, from contact with chicken feces. Continue Reading Campylobacter: the King of Foodborne Disease in the US