FOOD SAFETY FACTS ON CAMPYLOBACTER

What is foodborne illness?

Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites can make you sick. Many people have had foodborne illness and not even known it. It's sometimes called food poisoning, and it can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include the following:

• stomach cramps
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• fever

Symptoms can start soon after eating contaminated food, but they can also occur up to a month or more later. For some people, especially young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, foodborne illness can be very dangerous.

Public health experts estimate that there are 11 to 13 million cases of foodborne illness in Canada every year. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented by using safe food handling practices and using a food thermometer to check that your food is cooked to a safe internal temperature!

What are Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacteriosis?

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is a bacterium commonly found in the intestines of poultry, cattle, swine, rodents, wild birds and household pets like cats and dogs. It has also been found in untreated surface water (caused by fecal material in the environment) and manure. C. jejuni is the most common Campylobacter associated with human illness. Humans may develop an illness call campylobacteriosis if they consume food infected by C. jejuni bacteria.

What are the symptoms of Campylobacteriosis?

Symptoms may include fever, headache and muscle pain, followed by often bloody diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, nausea and vomiting. More severe illness such as septicemia can occur in immunocompromised individuals.

Further complications could include Guillain-Barré Syndrome, meningitis, septicemia, urinary tract infections and reactive arthritis (painful inflammation of joints which can last several months).

Symptoms of infection usually occur within 2 to 5 days after the bacteria have been ingested, but can occur up to a month later, and usually last no longer than 10 days. It takes most people anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to recover.

Where could I come in contact with Campylobacter jejuni?

Raw poultry can be contaminated with the C. jejuni bacteria. The common route of exposure is through cross-contamination which could occur during food storage and preparation. For instance, the pathogen when present in raw poultry could be deposited on and contaminate cutting boards, kitchen counters, utensils and other surfaces (including human hands) while in contact with the contaminated raw food. If these surfaces are not properly washed and cleaned before they are used for handling ready-to-eat food, e.g., food that was already cooked, they could contaminate it with bacteria. People may also develop C. jejuni infections when they drink raw milk or untreated water.

Campylobacter jejuni may also be transmitted from hands that were not washed properly after petting infected cats and dogs (or farm animals) whose coats could contain infected fecal matter.

What can I do to protect myself and my family?

• Keep raw foods cold until they are to be cooked. Refrigerate or freeze raw poultry and meat immediately after purchase.
• Prevent cross-contamination: separate raw meat and poultry from ready-to-eat foods at all times, including in the shopping cart, grocery bags, refrigerator and during preparation.
• Do not wash raw poultry. Washing poultry can result in cross-contamination in the kitchen.
• Wash your hands after handling and preparing raw meat and poultry, changing diapers, after petting cats, dogs and farm animals and remind your children to wash their hands thoroughly.
• sanitize all utensils and work surfaces with a mild bleach solution (5 ml/1 tsp. bleach per 750 ml/3 cups water). Consider using a plastic cutting board. Place it in the dishwasher to disinfect.
• Drink only pasteurized milk.
• Drink water from a safe supply.
• Use a food thermometer to cook foods to a safe internal temperature.
• Do not prepare food for others if you experience diarrhea, or are caring for someone who is unless you use gloves and use safe food handling practices.

When is my food ready to eat?

Food	Temperature
fully cooked and ready-to-eat meats (e.g. ham, roast)	4°C (40°F) cold 60°C (140°F) hot
beef and veal steaks and roasts	63°C (145°F) medium-rare 71°C (160°F) medium 77°C (170°F) well done
pork chops, ribs, roasts; ground beef, ground pork and ground veal, including sausages and other foods made with ground beef/pork/veal, eggs when cooked using a direct heating method (not a microwave)	71°C (160°F)
stuffing (inside a carcass), casseroles, hot dogs, leftovers, egg dishes, ground chicken and ground turkey, including sausages and other foods made with ground chicken/turkey when using a microwave	74°C (165°F)
chicken and turkey breasts, legs, thighs and wings	74°C (165°F)
chicken and turkey, whole bird	85°C (185°F)

Safeguarding Canada's Food Supply

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the Government of Canada's key science-based regulator for animal health, plant protection and, in partnership with Health Canada, food safety.

For more information on food safety, visit the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca. You can also find food safety information on the Health Canada and Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education Web sites respectively at www.hc-sc.gc.ca and www.canfightbac.org.

P0573E-07
December 2007