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What is it?
- Campylobacter is a type of bacteria that can be found in the gut of pets, livestock and wild animals
- It is usually transferred to food and water from the faeces (poo) or organs of animals, for example during milking and poultry processing
What's the risk?
- Campylobacter can cause a severe type of gastro called campylobacteriosis
- Anyone can get campylobacteriosis but vulnerable people (i.e. very young children, the elderly) and people with weak immune systems (e.g. cancer patients) are more likely to get ill.
- Foods at higher risk of contamination include poultry (chicken, turkey and duck) products including paté, meat, seafood, unpasteurised milk and untreated water
Symptoms of campylobacteriosis
- Symptoms usually start 2-5 days after eating contaminated food
- Common symptoms are diarrhoea (often bloody), cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting and tiredness
- Sometimes the illness can become more serious and in rare cases Campylobacter can cause reactive arthritis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a neurological disorder)
- Sometimes infected people have no symptoms
- Most people are sick for several days and up to two weeks
Reduce your risk
- Cook food thoroughly, especially poultry meat and liver (until juices are clear and no pink meat)
- Wash your hands with soap and dry them before preparing and eating food
- Never wash raw chicken
- Keep your kitchen and equipment clean
- Avoid cross contamination - use separate cutting boards and knives for raw poultry and ready-to-eat food (like fresh fruit and vegetables), and store cooked food separately from raw foods
- Thoroughly reheat food (to 75°C)
- Wash fruit and vegetables with running water
- Avoid consuming unpasteurised milk, raw seafood and untreated water
Page last updated: 13 March 2025