Author
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WESLEY, IRENE |
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Submitted to: United States Animal Health Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Campylobacter is a fastidious, gram-negative, bacterium which is motile by means of polar flagella. Initial isolation requires complex media and incubation in low oxygen environments (microaerobic). In the U.S., Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of human bacterial foodborne enteritis with an estimated 2.1 million cases occurring annually at an estimated cost of $1 billion. Human campylobacteriosis follows consumption of undercooked contaminated poultry; less frequently sporadic cases are linked to beef and pork consumption. Outbreaks have been traced to consumption of raw milk and contaminated water. C. coli is regarded as a pig commensal. The prevalence of Campylobacter in cattle, pigs as well as in beef, pork, and poultry products is detailed. The use of a rapid multiplex PCR assay has accelerated the identification of C. jejuni and C. coli in livestock. Campylobacter jejuni from cattle can pollute water supplies and cause waterborne outbreaks. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in C. jejuni as well as the association of Guillain-Barre syndrome with recent campylobacteriosis cases in humans have given added significance to this microbe. |
