Search results for: campylobacter

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has provided more details about Campylobacter and Salmonella infections in 2023.

The number of reported Campylobacter cases in England rose from 54,884 in 2022 to 60,014 in 2023. More recent data shows a further increase to more than 70,300 in 2024.

In 2023, the region with the most Campylobacter laboratory reports was the South East with 11,140. Despite having the lowest number of patients, the North East had the highest reporting rate. The lowest rate was in London.

Overall, 55.4 percent of patients were male and the most affected age groups were 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years old. Lab reports per month broadly followed the same trend as the previous five years, with a peak in June.

The majority of Campylobacter samples were Campylobacter jejuni at 11,862 followed by Campylobacter coli with 1,300.

Five outbreaks were reported with 36 patients, of which 24 were laboratory confirmed.

The source was unknown on four occasions but one incident with four patients was traced to poultry meat sold at a kebab shop. Two outbreaks were linked to a nursing or care home and one with 18 patients was traced to a restaurant.

Data comes from the Second Generation Surveillance System run by UKHSA and the Gastrointestinal Infections, Food Safety and One Health (GIFSOH) division’s Electronic Foodborne and non-foodborne Outbreak Surveillance System (eFOSS).

Eight Salmonella outbreaks
Reported non-typhoidal Salmonella cases in England rose from 8,290 in 2022 to 8,874 in 2023. More recent data shows nearly 10,400 infections were recorded in 2024.

In 2023, Salmonella Enteritidis was the most frequently reported serovar with lab reports increasing from 2,069 in 2022 to 2,710 in 2023; reports of Salmonella Typhimurium decreased from 1,772 to 1,471. Data includes Salmonella Typhimurium and Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium. Salmonella Infantis was third, followed by the Saintpaul, Newport, Chester, and Agona Salmonella types.

London had the highest rate of lab reports and the lowest rate was in the East Midlands. London had the most cases with 1,739 while the North East had the lowest with 449.

Overall, 52.6 percent of reported cases were female and the most affected age group was the 0 to 9 year old category. Salmonella reports broadly followed the same trend as previous five years, with a peak in September.

Eight outbreaks caused 522 cases, of which 510 were lab confirmed. They were associated with the consumption of different food vehicles such as poultry and red meat, eggs, coriander leaves, and melons.

The largest Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak had 255 cases and was linked to poultry meat from Poland. This incident also affected European countries and was the subject of an outbreak assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

A Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak traced to cantaloupe melon sickened 95 people in England, Scotland, and Wales. Five patients were also recorded in Portugal.

A Salmonella Infantis outbreak with 71 cases was linked to poultry meat and a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak with 65 patients was caused by eggs served at a restaurant.

There were 177 Listeria cases in England and Wales in 2023 and 178 in 2024. Clostridium perfringens infections in England went up from 1,659 to 1,702. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 rose from 538 to 567 and Yersinia increased from 454 to 660. Cyclospora cases almost doubled from 61 in 2023 to 123 in 2024.

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Norway has reported the lowest rate of Campylobacter positive broiler flocks since 2009.

In 2024, 70 out of more than 2,000 broiler flocks tested positive for Campylobacter as part of a food safety surveillance program.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet), Animalia, and the poultry industry annually monitor Campylobacter in broilers slaughtered at a maximum age of 50 days.

Mattilsynet is responsible for implementing the surveillance program, while the Norwegian Veterinary Institute coordinates the plan, performs the laboratory investigations, analyses the data, and communicates the results.

Sampling of broilers by the owner or keeper on the farm from May to October 2024 showed that 3.4 percent of the flocks tested positive for Campylobacter. A total of 2,071 flocks from 495 farms were sampled. One sample consisted of 10 pooled swabs from fresh fecal/cecal droppings.

Of all farms sampled, 57 had at least one positive flock, and of these, 13 had two flocks positive. There is follow-up on positive flocks, with an emphasis on advice to the producer.

Better than recent years
In 2021, 2022, and 2023, between 4.8 and 6.1 percent of Campylobacter positive flocks were detected. The result of 3.4 percent is the lowest recorded in the surveillance program in almost 20 years.

Flocks that test positive for Campylobacter are either heat-treated or frozen for a minimum of three weeks. This reduces the risk of people being infected with campylobacteriosis when handling fresh poultry meat in the kitchen.

Compared to other European countries, Norway has a low prevalence of the bacteria.

Figures from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) show that Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported foodborne human bacterial infectious disease in Norway. In 2024, the number of human cases was 3,092; 1,102 were acquired in Norway, 1,251 were acquired abroad and 739 had an unknown origin.

Animalia is also part of a project aiming to develop more effective measures for dealing with Campylobacter in the poultry industry. Current methods of freezing for three weeks have been described as effective but expensive. CampySafe focuses on control of the bacteria during slaughter, cooling and freezing.

Others involved in the project are Nortura, Den Stolte Hane, Norsk Kylling, Nærbø Kyllingslakt, Berika, Gårdsand, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, NMBU Veterinary College and KLF.

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England saw an increase in Campylobacter and Salmonella reports from 2022 to 2024, according to recently released information.

The data comes from the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) first annual report summarizing infectious disease trends.

Between 2022 and 2024, there was an increase in Campylobacter laboratory reports, with the rate per 100,000 population going up by 27 percent from 96.1 in 2022 to 122 in 2024. During this time Salmonella reports also increased by 24.1 percent from a rate of 14.5 to 18 per 100,000 population.

In 2023, more than 60,000 Campylobacter cases were reported compared to more than 70,300 in 2024. In 2023, almost 8,900 Salmonella infections were recorded compared to nearly 10,400 in 2024.

The UKHSA said there are likely multiple factors driving the changes and further analyses are ongoing.

In 2023, there was an increase in Cryptosporidium lab reports which resulted in the rate almost doubling compared to 2022. This was driven by a rise in Cryptosporidium hominis which was seen across Europe. There was a decrease in reports in 2024.

Listeria and E. coli
Listeria cases in England and Wales stayed steady with 177 in 2023 and 178 in 2024. Clostridium perfringens infections in England went up from 1,659 to 1,702. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 rose from 538 to 567 and Yersinia increased from 454 to 660. Cyclospora cases almost doubled from 61 in 2023 to 123 in 2024.

Listeriosis has the highest incidence in those more than 80 years old. One sixth of infections in 2023 were associated with pregnancy, of which almost a quarter resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage. Seven outbreaks were linked to consumption of smoked fish, soft cheese and beef products.

An increase in STEC has been seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. One outbreak of STEC O145 in summer 2024 resulted in 288 patients. There were nine cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and two deaths. An investigation linked the outbreak to multiple types of sandwiches containing contaminated salad leaves.

The UKHSA has also published a list of 24 pathogen families that could pose the greatest risk to public health. It provides information on pathogens where the UKHSA believes further research would be most beneficial to boost preparedness.

Included in the list with transmission by food or water are adenovirus and norovirus, which both have a high domestic burden.

For bacteria, E. coli, including Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), STEC and Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), were classed as having a high domestic burden. It is also of critical antimicrobial resistance concern and there is a climate sensitive risk.

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Danish researchers have achieved a reduction in Campylobacter in chickens by adding additives to their feed.

Scientists from DTU National Food Institute conducted trials at a free-range chicken farm in Jutland. Campylobacter prevalence in free-range broilers is usually higher than in conventional flocks.

Trials demonstrate that adding biochar to chicken feed can reduce Campylobacter in chickens by up to 80 percent. This could lead to fewer foodborne infections in people. There are 5,000 registered cases of Campylobacter-related illness annually in Denmark and many more go unreported. Biochar is made from organic waste material, such as wood, and is transformed through pyrolysis, a thermal treatment in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere.

The study, published in the journal Poultry Science, showed an initial increase in Campylobacter jejuni counts on day 36 before a reduction on day 59, suggesting that biochar in the intestine of broilers may need a continuous and longer duration of administration to reduce Campylobacter.

“Reducing bacterial levels in chickens can make a significant difference in public health. Our findings highlight biochar’s potential — particularly for free-range and organic chickens, where controlling bacteria is more challenging than in conventionally raised poultry,” said senior researcher Brian Lassen from DTU National Food Institute, leader of the SafeChicken project.

Testing lab findings
Previous studies conducted in laboratories have shown positive outcomes but struggled to replicate such findings under real world farm management conditions.

“We demonstrate that it’s possible to achieve a significant reduction in Campylobacter in free-range chickens slaughtered at two months of age without finding adverse effects on their health. This is significant for production systems where chickens have access to outdoor areas, which typically increases their exposure to Campylobacter from the environment,” said PhD student Cristina Calvo-Fernandez.

A total of 140 broilers were placed into five cages. They had access to outdoor areas after day 36. Three groups received standard feed supplemented with either biochar 2 percent, a probiotic-like product 0.125 percent, or 15 percent oat hulls. One group received organic acids added to water, and the control group was fed feed pellets and water. For the three successive flocks tested, all broilers became Campylobacter-positive before access to the outdoors. 

Half of the broilers were killed on day 36 and the rest on day 56 for enumeration and isolation of Campylobacter in cecal contents by culturing. Air samples were collected weekly, and water and boot sock samples were collected on days four, 36, and 59.

Researchers tested feed and water additives that had previously shown evidence of reducing Campylobacter under experimental conditions. Trials were conducted three times on the same farm from June to December 2022. The best results came from using biochar.

Researchers also tested organic acids added to the chickens’ drinking water.

“In our trials, we observed a 76 percent reduction in Campylobacter when the chickens were 36 days old — half of this breed’s slaughter age — but the effect diminished by the slaughter age of the free-range chickens three weeks later. This suggests that timing the administration of organic acids may need to be optimized from the experimental setup,” said Calvo-Fernandez.

The SafeChicken project continues until autumn 2025 and is investigating additional methods to combat Campylobacter, including interventions at slaughterhouses. The team is also analyzing why biochar reduces Campylobacter in chickens.

Norwegian project
Meanwhile, another project in Norway is hoping to develop more effective measures for Campylobacter control in the poultry industry.

Animalia is leading the CampySafe project with help from Nortura, Den Stolte Hane, Norsk Kylling, Nærbø Kyllingslakt, Berika, Gårdsand, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, NMBU Veterinary College and KLF.

Current steps in the Norwegian action plan against Campylobacter in the poultry sector are effective but expensive. The main measure is to freeze meat from infected chickens for at least three weeks to kill the bacteria.

Since 2001, the poultry industry has monitored Campylobacter in chickens on farms, but little is known about its presence in meat. The project will map Campylobacter in chicken carcasses during the slaughtering and cooling process to provide knowledge about which measures reduce bacterial levels.

“Campylobacter is the biggest challenge for food safety in broiler chicken production. CampySafe focuses on Campylobacter control during slaughter, cooling and freezing, and especially on operational solutions that provide increased profitability for the industry. This should not come at the expense of food safety and meat quality,” said Sigrun Hauge, head of food safety at Animalia and project manager for CampySafe.

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Researchers at the University of Oxford are part of a team that has received a grant to develop vaccines against Campylobacter.

The project also involves researchers at Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique in Cote d’Ivoire; the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.

The Ineos Oxford Institute has received a £5 million ($6.1 million) Wellcome Discovery Award to develop vaccines against pathogens that cause diarrhea. Diarrheal diseases are a major threat to public health, especially for children in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhea. It is prevalent in livestock such as poultry, cattle, pigs, and sheep and can be transmitted to humans via contaminated water and food, especially chicken meat. However, there is under-reporting and declining antibiotic effectiveness.

The process of disease transmission is unclear because Campylobacter is very common in the guts of wild and domestic animals and can be transmitted easily to humans. Limited laboratory and diagnostics facilities, and low patient attendance at health facilities in LMICs make it hard for scientists to study the disease and find treatments.

Vaccine for animals
Sam Sheppard, principal investigator of the Ineos Oxford Institute’s digital microbiology program, will lead the work.

Sheppard said the network of 19 countries and nine African co-investigators will allow the creation of a global genomic surveillance hub to track the spread of diarrheal diseases.

“Contemporary meta-genomic epidemiology techniques will help us understand cryptic disease networks and track how the disease is transmitted from animals to humans,” he said.

“We need to ensure that the vaccine that we develop is stable, affordable and effective — that is the only way that there will be successful uptake, especially in low-and-middle income countries. Using the data collected in trials, we will monitor the effectiveness of the vaccine and quantify the impact of multiple factors to optimize vaccine delivery.”

Project partners will create a framework of meta-genomic epidemiology surveillance. This approach is used to monitor and track the spread of infectious diseases by analyzing the genetic material of all microorganisms present in a sample, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. The team will study the genetic make-up of Campylobacter populations recovered from hospital and farm sites, and use the data to develop a vaccine for animals to interrupt the transmission chain and prevent the spread of Campylobacter to humans.

Four focus areas
Pilot research has already taken place in The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Peru. The team will expand this work across Africa, where local partners will collect samples from infected people, wild and domestic animals, meat from supermarkets, and the natural environment like waterbodies.

Georgia Walton, research manager in discovery research at Wellcome, said: “We’re excited to follow the research, which shows the potential to be highly impactful for public health by preventing the spread of this diarrheal disease, with a clear vision on building capacity and training the next generation so that the data and tools can be applied to vaccine development more broadly.”

The team will work with industrial partners to investigate antibody responses in bacteria samples.

Results will allow scientists to identify vaccine targets and develop a glycoconjugate vaccine – a type of vaccine that combines a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule with a protein to enhance the immune response.

There are four focus areas. The first is novel (meta)genomics and bioinformatics approaches and the second involves identifying target antigens within problematic strains. Thirdly, omics data and modelling approaches will be used to digitally engineer optimized vaccines and finally livestock vaccines that protect against Campylobacter and Salmonella will be produced and tested.

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Experts have suggested reasons why a reduction of Campylobacter in chicken meat has not led to a decrease in infections in the United Kingdom.

Ideas include the selected meat contamination target being the wrong one to focus on as well as the role of other sources of infection and imported poultry meat.

Campylobacter is the leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the UK. Cases are frequently attributed to chicken. In 2010, the FSA began a Campylobacter reduction program to reduce contamination levels in poultry.

With help from industry, there was a reduction in the proportion of chickens contaminated with Campylobacter at levels above 1,000 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) at retail from 19 percent in 2014 to 5 percent in 2017; recent data indicates these levels have been maintained. However, human cases have remained stable at around 100 per 100,000 population between 2014 and 2019.

When setting the original target, modelling suggested that introducing interventions at farm and slaughterhouse level could lead to a 15 to 30 percent reduction in human cases. 

FSA is reviewing its Campylobacter campaign to understand why the reduction in prevalence in chicken meat was not associated with a decrease in sick people.

An expert elicitation exercise was run to generate hypotheses that might explain this finding.

Proposed reasons behind situation
Forty-one experts from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France were recruited with experience in either poultry production or Campylobacter research. More experts from academia, followed by government, were represented compared to industry participants.

They individually generated 157 hypotheses, which later became 25 ideas.

As the campylobacteriosis case trends analysis demonstrated, the UK is not the only country to see case numbers remain steady, or increase, despite public health efforts and industry intervention strategies.

Eight suggestions were put forward as likely explanations for campylobacteriosis case numbers not following the trends seen with levels in chickens at retail.

These included the role of imported poultry meat, other food sources, the low infectious dose meaning the 1,000 CFU/g target was not strict enough, sampling the wrong products or areas, or at the wrong times, and a lack of food hygiene in consumer kitchens.

Ranked hypotheses will be considered by FSA scientists and policy colleagues to help focus the agency’s research and explore new strategies to reduce infections in humans.

In 2019, the Advisory Committee for the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) published a report on the management of Campylobacter, finding no single practical intervention has been shown to be capable of eliminating it. A 2024 report from the FAO and WHO found combining interventions was necessary to significantly impact Campylobacter levels and prevalence in poultry meat.

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Researchers have shown the significant impact and costs of Campylobacter infections from contaminated chicken in Australia.

Scientists quantified the cost of illness attributable to specific domestic risk factors for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. They used data from a 2018 to 2019 case–control study to estimate odds ratios and attributable fractions for risk factors. Data on national incidence, hospitalization, and premature mortality was used to quantify burden. The team then applied costs related to healthcare use, pain and suffering, premature mortality, and lost productivity to each risk factor.

Results published recently in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease showed that Campylobacter jejuni caused 83 percent of infections and chicken consumption resulted in the highest attributable fraction, at 30 percent, costing $111 million annually. Campylobacteriosis linked to eating contaminated chicken meat, even when reported as cooked, incurred costs which accounts for almost half of the total foodborne burden from Campylobacter of $253 million.

The burden associated with the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) was second, followed by contact with young dogs at $30 million and chicken feces at $10 million.

Methods used
Attributable costs and disease burden metrics can provide insight into the relative importance of risk factors from an economic perspective and highlight areas for public health resources and interventions in a more targeted way than disease-wide estimates. These figures can be compared with the costs of implementing measures to reduce Campylobacter prevalence in risk factors, said scientists.

Australia has a high rate of campylobacteriosis with 145 reported cases per 100,000 people. Incidence has increased in the past decade, prompting regulators to develop a national foodborne illness reduction strategy focusing on Campylobacter and Salmonella.

In a cost of illness study, campylobacteriosis transmitted via contaminated food was estimated to cost Australia $253 million annually. Estimated annual costs of foodborne illness caused by food commodities and pathogens have also been produced recently.

A total of 571 case–patients were recruited who were culture-positive for Campylobacter in the Australian Capital Territory, a region of New South Wales, and Queensland. Cases were matched to 586 controls by sex, age group, and location.

Burden of disease included cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for initial diarrheal illness and three sequelae: reactive arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). Cost of illness estimates included premature mortality, direct healthcare costs (including healthcare visits, tests, and medications), lost productivity, and the cost of pain and suffering.

Major role of chicken
Researchers estimated there were 349,000 cases of campylobacteriosis in Australia, with 83 percent due to Campylobacter jejuni and 17 percent due to Campylobacter coli.

Among five risk factors, consumption of cooked chicken in the seven days before illness had the highest score across all age groups. This ranged from 30 percent in adults aged over 65 to 35 percent in children less than 5 years old. Consumption of undercooked chicken had a larger score but was less frequently reported, so the overall attribution proportion was much smaller.

As cooking meat kills Campylobacter, attribution to cooked chicken is likely from people unknowingly eating it undercooked or from poor handling of raw chicken and cross-contamination during preparation.

Scientists attributed 114,000 cases to eating cooked chicken and 24,200 to knowingly eating chicken that appeared undercooked. They estimated that cooked chicken resulted in 2,400 hospitalizations and one death while undercooked chicken led to 487 hospitalizations and less than one death. When including all cost components for initial illness and sequelae, this amounted to an estimated $111 million for transmission from cooked chicken and $23.1 million from undercooked chicken.

A total of 32,500 cases were linked to contact with dogs aged less than six months with an estimated 595 hospitalizations and less than one death. This equated to $29.8 million annually. A total of 10,800 cases were attributed to contact with chicken feces in the seven days before illness with 192 hospitalizations and no deaths. This equated to over $9.92 million annually.

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The contamination rate for Salmonella in retail turkey meat can be relatively low but still significant. Various studies and surveys have reported that anywhere from about 4% to 12% of turkey products may be contaminated with Salmonella. This can vary by region and over time. Campylobacter is less commonly associated with turkey than with chicken, but it can still be present. Contamination rates vary, but some studies have found it in about 5% to 10% of turkey samples.

Ensuring food safety during Thanksgiving is crucial to prevent foodborne illnesses. Here are some key tips to help keep your Thanksgiving dinner safe.

Always remember to wash your hands and keep food contact surfaces clean.

Thaw Turkey Safely

  • Do Not Wash Turkey: Water containing pathogens like Salmonella and Campylobacter can splash on to other surfaces
  • Refrigerator Thawing: Plan and thaw the turkey in the refrigerator. Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of turkey.
  • Cold Water Thawing: Submerge the turkey in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes per pound.
  • Microwave Thawing: Follow your microwave’s instructions if you use it for thawing and cook immediately after thawing.

Avoid Cross-Contamination

  • Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw turkey and other foods.
  • Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water after handling raw poultry.

Cook Thoroughly:

  • Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Use a food thermometer to check the temperature in the thickest parts of the breast, thigh, and wing.
  • If stuffing the turkey, ensure the stuffing also reaches 165°F or cook it separately.

Keep Foods at Safe Temperatures:

  • Keep hot foods at or above 140°F (60°C) and cold foods at or below 40°F (4°C).
  • Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking to prevent bacterial growth.

Store Leftovers Properly:

  • Divide turkey and other perishable foods into smaller portions and store them in shallow containers to cool quickly in the refrigerator.
  • Use refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days or freeze them for extended storage.

Reheat Properly:

  • Reheat all leftovers to an internal temperature of 165°F before eating.

By following these food safety tips, you can help ensure a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving meal for everyone.

And if things go wrong: the incubation period for Salmonella, which is the time between exposure to the bacteria and the appearance of symptoms, typically ranges from 6 hours to 6 days. Most often, symptoms appear 12 to 72 hours after infection. The incubation period for Campylobacter, which is the time between exposure to the bacteria and the onset of symptoms, typically ranges from 2 to 5 days. However, it can vary from as little as 1 day to as long as 10 days.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has issued a recall of bottled raw milk produced by Bridgewater farm Nature View Dairy because it has been linked to people with Campylobacter infections.

In addition to the two patients, state investigators found Campylobacter bacteria in samples of the farm’s bottled raw milk.

“Consumers should be cautious when ingesting raw milk products, especially those in high-risk categories,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt in a public alert.

Nature View Dairy, which is complying with the recall according to the Department of Agriculture, specializes in unpasteurized, raw milk, according to the farm’s website. Despite much scientific data to the contrary, the dairy continues to promote its raw milk as safe. It is against federal law to sell raw, unpasteurized milk across state lines.

In addition to their own farm stand, Nature View Dairy sells milk and milk-derived products at markets in and around the Danbury area, including Caraluzzi’s Markets in Newtown, Bethel, Georgetown and Danbury, Labonne’s Market in Watertown and Nature’s Temptations in Ridgefield, among other places.

A public alert from the state agriculture department defined pasteurization as “a process that removes disease-causing germs by heating milk to a high enough temperature for a specific length of time.”

“Raw or unpasteurized milk can be a source of food-borne illness. While good practices on farms can reduce contamination, they cannot guarantee safety from pathogens,” according to the department. “Pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefits without the risks of raw milk consumption.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, campylobacter causes “the most bacterial diarrheal illnesses in the United States” impacting 1.5 million people in the United States annually. It is commonly found in uncooked or undercooked meat and dairy products.

Pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria and hepatitis A are often found in raw milk, and avian flu has also been detected, making unpasteurized milk even more dangerous than before.

Symptoms of a campylobacter infection usually start two to five days after ingestion, lasting about one week. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, vomiting and nausea.

“Those who exhibit symptoms of campylobacter infection that last more than two days should contact their health care provider,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a public alert. “While anyone can get sick from campylobacter, children aged 5 and younger, pregnant people, adults 65 and older, and those with a weakened immune system are at an increased risk for serious illness.”

Milk is a billion-dollar business in Connecticut, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Regulatory Services. Farms that sell raw milk are inspected for cleanliness, though facilities that sell less than $1 million in food of any kind annually are exempt. 

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The USDA is planning to reduce some Salmonella testing for poultry products for the coming fiscal year, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

In a 33-page sampling plan for fiscal year 2024, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) outlines the number of samples it plans to test. The agency says most of the cutbacks are because it already has enough data to study.

“It is important to note that this document reflects the agency’s plan, and there may be a difference between the number of samples anticipated to be analyzed and the total number of samples analyzed within the fiscal year. Several variables can impact the plan as the fiscal year progresses,” according to the plan document.

“FSIS laboratories perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on all foodborne pathogens isolated and confirmed from FSIS-regulated products. When product samples test positive for bacterial pathogens, FSIS engages with federal partners to use WGS data for regulatory and public health purposes. The information gathered from WGS helps FSIS to detect and investigate outbreaks of foodborne illness, identify potential instances of harborage, and identify unique genes, including antimicrobial resistance genes.”

The FSIS qualifies its approach to Salmonella testing, saying that some Salmonella microorganisms are less likely to result in foodborne illnesses. Some consumer protection groups have previously challenged the agency’s position, wanting testing for more types of Salmonella than the agency is proposing, but Consumer Reports says the new sampling plan makes sense in many ways.

Michael Hansen is with Consumer Reports and serves on the National Advisory Council on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. The council provides impartial scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on public health issues related to the safety of the U.S. food supply.

Hansen says it is important to note that the FSIS can now better test for Salmonella and Campylobacter.

“As science has advanced and the price of whole genome sequencing has come down, they are testing for more types of Salmonella,” Hansen said.

That is good news because a single chicken sample can be contaminated with numerous types of Salmonella, some of which are more likely to cause serious human illnesses.

Hansen also said it is good news that the agency is making results public to be further analyzed. He said another positive point in the sampling plan is that the agency is taking a closer look at Campylobacter contamination.

“Current and future efforts include exploring the use of genomic data to attribute Salmonella and Campylobacter illnesses to foods, to understand pathogen adaptability, persistence, and pathogenicity, and to use subtyping data to understand the diversity and ubiquity of pathogen subtypes found in regulated products. These efforts will also build on the public health, regulatory, and research partners’ endeavors in support of FSIS Research Priorities,” according to the sampling plan.

“. . . In FY 2023, FSIS worked with a contractor to develop an allele code scheme for naming both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. The allele codes provide terminology that is amenable to reporting and allows for comparing FSIS isolate sequences to each other, identifying repetitive or persistent subtypes. The Campylobacter allele codes are publicly available in the establishment-specific sampling datasets,” according to the sampling plan. 

The sampling plan eliminates testing in some instances, but the agency says that is because it has enough data from previous years to address illnesses from certain types of contamination.

“FSIS will continue to explore Salmonella enumeration analysis of multiple poultry product types in support of the agency’s comprehensive approach to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products. As the presence of Salmonella and the quantity of Salmonella microorganisms can impact the likelihood of illness, FSIS will continue to examine how quantification can be incorporated into this approach. Moreover, with emerging science suggesting that not all Salmonella are equally likely to cause human illness, FSIS will explore Salmonella serotypes and virulence factors that pose the greatest public health risk,” according to the sampling plan.

One part of the sampling plan that Hansen finds troublesome is the cutback in testing of ground chicken and turkey. The FSIS plans to cut that testing by half, which Hansen says is unfortunate because such chicken products are the most likely to be contaminated.

The agency plans to

  • Suspend exploratory sampling of mechanically separated turkey and chicken products (-300 samples; implement Oct. 1, 2023); FSIS has collected adequate data from these products for analysis.
  • Suspend exploratory sampling of chicken halves and quarters (-120 samples; implement Oct. 1, 2023); FSIS has collected adequate data from these products for analysis.
  • Decrease Campylobacter analysis in all poultry products to the minimum samples needed to estimate prevalence (—13,600 tests; implement Oct. 1, 2023) while FSIS considers the next steps for Campylobacter policy.
  • Decrease sample scheduling for comminuted chicken and turkey products by 50% to align with the routine sampling assignments for carcasses and parts(-2,000 samples; implement Jan. 1, 2024).

More key points from the fiscal year 2024 sampling plan
The FSIS has already begun an effort to reduce Salmonella in certain raw, breaded chicken products. The 2024 plan addresses some of that effort. The agency plans to implement verification testing approaches for raw, not ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded, stuffed chicken products.

Other points in the sampling plan for poultry for the 2024 fiscal year include:

  • Reducing the number of tests for Salmonella and Campylobacter for ground and other comminuted chicken (not mechanically separated) from 2,500 to 1,250;
  • Reducing the testing of turkey carcasses from 1,730 to 700;
  • Reducing ground and other comminuted turkey (not Mechanically Separated) from 1,500 to 750 and
  • Eliminating the exploratory for mechanically separated turkey.

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