Pathogen: Campylobacter jejuni - bacteria

Symptoms

• Diarrhea (often bloody or watery)
• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Start of symptoms / how long they last

Symptoms usually

• start within 2 to 5 days (but can happen up to a month after eating or drinking food containing the bacteria)
• last up to 10 days

How you can get sick

• By eating or drinking food or beverages contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni
• By hands that were not washed properly after petting infected cats, dogs, or farm animals
• Through cross-contamination when preparing food
• Direct person-to-person contact, including the physical care (diapering) of people carrying the bacteria

Potential health impacts

• Long-term consequences are rare.
• Some people may get
  • sudden gall bladder inflammation (can feel like a sharp abdominal pain)
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome (an auto-immune disorder affecting the nervous system)
  • meningitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
  • Reiter's syndrome (a condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body and can lead to chronic arthritis)
  • chronic colitis (inflammation of the colon)

Food commonly associated

• Raw eggs
• Raw milk and raw milk dairy products
• Raw or undercooked meat such as poultry, beef, pork, lamb
• Raw vegetables
• Shellfish
• Untreated drinking water

How to protect yourself

• Cook food to a safe internal temperature.
• Drink and eat pasteurized milk and milk products.
• Use a digital food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food. Refer to the chart on page 5.
• Keep hot food hot at or above 60°C (140°F).
• Keep cooked food separate from raw food. Use one set of utensils for raw food and another for cooked food.
• Buy shellfish from reputable suppliers.
• Drink water from a safe supply (treated or boiled water).

Food Safety Tip

When you pack a lunch, keep HOT foods HOT and COLD foods COLD. A thermos or an ice pack will help.

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