Campylobacter jejuni and the human food chain: a possible source Available to Purchase

Campylobacter spp. is the single most common cause of food‐borne illness in England and Wales and worldwide. Raw meat (particularly poultry) is commonly contaminated with the organism. Insufficient cooking and/or proper storage or cross contamination to foods not subsequently cooked are the main means by which humans become infected. The organism enters the human food chain because of its prevalence within the digestive tract of livestock herds and poultry flocks but the means whereby it initially colonises these are probably diverse. This study investigated the survival of Campylobacter jejuni in animal feed and therefore the possibility that, in certain circumstances, this medium may provide a vector for initial infection and a reservoir for further spread within the flock hence providing a means of entry into the human food chain.