Consumer Reports has unveiled the results of a study that provide a frightening look at commercially sold uncooked chicken in the U.S. – two thirds of the chicken tested was positive for either Salmonella, Campylobacter, or both.
The consumer organization tested 382 chickens from 100 different stores in 22 states. Here are a few
Walworth County (WI) and Zinninker Farm have reached a settlment regarding potential fines following an outbreak of campylobacter jejuni linked to raw milk sold by the farm. The Janesville Gazette reports:
The district attorney’s office filed 24 citations against Zinniker Farm, N7399 Bowers Road, charging the sale of non-compliance milk. The citations carry a total
Some interesting quotes and figures from Bill Chirdon, director of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Food Safety regarding the sale of raw milk, as reported in the American Agriculturalist. Chirdon warned potential sellers to closely examine the decision, addressing the sellers liability for sales of contaminated product:
It’s an enormous risk….There are times when
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
Researchers at Bristol University recently presented new findings regarding Campylobacter contamination in poultry populations. Professor Tom Humphrey from the University’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, led a new study showing that Campylobacter levels increase in the gut of chickens and other farm animals when they are transported. According to a Bristol University press release:
We sometimes hear food poisoning dismissed (usually by those who are being blamed with causing it, not those suffering from it) as "just a little diarrhea." Here is yet more evidence that such a characterization has no basis in reality. Web MD is reporting today that Salmonella and Campylobacter infections triple the risk of Inflammatory
The Bellingham Herald reported today on a Campylobacter jejuni outbreak that has been traced to the consumption of raw milk purchased from a Whatcom County, Washington, dairy.
In December, the Whatcom County Health Department issued a warning to consumers that Campylobacter had been isolated from a sample of milk produced at the Pleasant Valley Dairy
Jonathan Golab, or "Science", is a writer for The Stranger, a weekly Seattle newspaper. He recently answered a reader’s question about whether raw milk is healthy. His answer, in part, was this:
Milk typically comes out of the cow (or goat or human) without any dangerous bacteria. But think of where most milking occurs—all sorts
An article on HOI.com titled, "E. coli and Friends," gives a good description of several foodborne pathogens featured at www.foodborneillness.com. Reporter Jen Christensen profiles E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria, and describes how health officials determine which pathogen is responsible for illness:
Tracking Down the Culprits
When stomach symptoms occur, people tend to attribute
The Utah county Health Department announced that all milk samples from the Payson dairy farm at the center of a controversy over whether its raw milk products were contaminated with Campylobacter tested negative for the bacterium. From a story in the Deseret Morning News:
"It’s very possible that an earlier batch had been contaminated and