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Campylobacteriasis
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Campylobacteriasis Overview
Campylobacter infection, or campylobacteriosis, is an infectious disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) indicates that about 14 cases are diagnosed each year for every 100,000 people. Many more cases go undiagnosed or unreported. CDC estimates Campylobacter infection affects more than 1.3 million people every year. Most cases are not part of recognized outbreaks, and more cases occur in summer than in winter.
Symptoms
People with Campylobacter infection usually have diarrhea (often bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps. The diarrhea may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. These symptoms usually start within two to five days after exposure and last about a week. Some infected people do not have any symptoms. In people with weakened immune systems, such as people with the blood disorders thalassemia and hypogammaglobulinemia, AIDS, or people receiving some kinds of chemotherapy, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.
Causes
Campylobacter are bacteria that can make people and animals sick. Most human illness is caused by one species, called Campylobacter jejuni, but other species also can cause human illness.
Most Campylobacter infections are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or from contamination of other foods by these items. People can get infected when a cutting board that has been used to cut and prepare raw chicken isn’t washed before it is used to prepare foods that are served raw or lightly cooked, such as salad or fruit. People also can get infected through contact with the feces of a dog or cat. Campylobacter does not usually spread from one person to another.
Outbreaks of Campylobacter infections have been associated most often with poultry, raw (unpasteurized) dairy products, untreated water, and produce.
Campylobacter infection is common in the developing world, and people who travel abroad have a greater chance of becoming infected. About 1 in 5 Campylobacter infections reported to the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) are associated with international travel.
Even more rarely, people may become infected through contaminated blood during a transfusion
Diagnosis
Campylobacter infection is diagnosed when a laboratory test detects Campylobacter bacteria in stool, body tissue, or fluids. The test could be a culture that isolates the bacteria or a rapid diagnostic test that detects genetic material of the bacteria.
Treatment
Most people with Campylobacter infection recover without specific treatment. Patients should drink extra fluids as long as the diarrhea lasts. Antibiotics are needed only for patients who are very ill or at high risk for severe disease, such as people with severely weakened immune systems; the blood disorders thalassemia and hypogammaglobulinemia; or AIDS; and people receiving chemotherapy.
Complications
Most people with a Campylobacter infection recover completely within a week, although they may shed (get rid of) Campylobacter bacteria in their stool for several weeks after recovery, which might result in person-to-person transmission. Campylobacter infection rarely results in long-term consequences. Some studies have estimated that 5–20% of people with Campylobacter infection develop irritable bowel syndrome for a limited time and 1–5% develop arthritis.
About 1 in every 1,000 reported Campylobacter illnesses leads to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS happens when a person’s immune system is triggered by an earlier infection, such as Campylobacter infection. GBS can lead to muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis that can last for a few weeks to several years, and often requires intensive medical care. Most people recover fully, but some have permanent nerve damage, and some have died of GBS. As many as 40% of GBS cases in the United States may be triggered by Campylobacter infection.