White Paper on Human Illness Caused by Campylobacter from All Food and Non-Food Vectors

This white paper summarized data on Campylobacter as a cause of human and animal infections; discussed sources associated with illnesses; detailed surveillance studies of prevalence on meat, foods and in animals; evaluated worldwide understanding of Campylobacter infections and their sources; assessed effectiveness of existing interventions and detection methods; and defined knowledge gaps.

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Objectives

• Summarize data on Campylobacter as a cause of human and animal infections,  important Campylobacter species, and immediate and chronic effects of infection
• Summarize data on human campylobacteriosis and food and non-food vehicles associated with cases and outbreaks and evaluate attribution to meat and non-meat sources
• Summarize data from surveillance studies of the prevalence of Campylobacter in meat and other foods and in livestock and companion animals
• Evaluate worldwide understanding of Campylobacter infections and their sources
• Assess effectiveness of existing interventions
• Discuss current detection methods
• Describe how knowledge gaps affect understanding of illness caused by Campylobacter spp.

Description

Scientific literature databases, information from CDC, FDA, and USDA, relevant government publications from other countries, and other information from industry and internet sources were examined for information on outbreaks and epidemiology of human illness attributed to Campylobacter spp. Data was also collected on detection methods and strategies to control this organism in livestock and foods.

Surveillance data and outbreak data were tabulated and figures are used to illustrate the importance of different vehicles/vectors. Data discussed in the text references: (a) reservoirs of these bacteria and the importance of different Campylobacter species, (b) routes of human infection, (c) food and non-food vehicles and vectors, (d) trends in campylobacteriosis in the U.S. and other countries, (d) chronic, long-term health effects of campylobacteriosis, and (e) control strategies.  Current regulations and methods for surveillance and collection of epidemiological information related to foodborne outbreaks are also discussed with respect to their effectiveness.

Current regulations and methods for surveillance and collection of epidemiological information related to foodborne outbreaks are discussed with respect to their effectiveness.

Deliverable

Campylobacteriosis is a widespread food- and water-borne gastrointestinal illness, caused primarily by C. jejuni and C. coli. In most cases morbidity is moderate but in some cases, long term sequelae, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, reactive arthritis and irritable bowel may persist for months or years. According to some estimates, about 30% of cases result from consumption and preparation of poultry meat. Unpasteurized milk and drinking water contaminated be sewage or run-off from fields have also been implicated in many outbreaks.

Although some smaller countries have successfully reduced their prevalence of campylobacteriosis, many other countries have seen increasing or stable levels of this disease in spite of attempts to reduce contamination levels in poultry. Many surveys of retail poultry meat still find that a large proportion carry Campylobacter.