Campylobacter Questions and Answers

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency 

in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

“Campylobacter” bacteria are the second most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness. A comprehensive 

farm-to-table approach to food safety is necessary in order to reduce campylobacteriosis. Farmers, industry, 

food inspectors, retailers, food service workers, and consumers are each critical links in the food safety chain. 

This document answers common questions about the bacteria “Campylobacter,” describes how the Food Safety 

and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is addressing the problems of 

“Campylobacter” contamination on meat and poultry products, and offers guidelines for safe food handling to 

prevent bacteria, such as “Campylobacter,” from causing illness.

Q. What is Campylobacter?

A. Campylobacter [pronounced “kamp-e-lo-back-ter”] 

is a gram negative, microaerophilic bacterium and is 

one of the most common bacterial causes of diarrheal 

illness in the United States. Campylobacter jejuni, the 

strain associated with most reported human infections, 

may be present in the body without causing noticeable 

illness. 

Campylobacter organisms can be found everywhere 

and are commonly found in the intestinal tracts of cats, 

dogs, poultry, cattle, swine, rodents, monkeys, wild 

birds, and some humans. The bacteria pass through the 

body in the feces and cycle through the environment. 

They are also found in untreated water. 

Q. What harm can Campylobacter

bacteria cause?

A. Infection caused by Campylobacter bacteria is 

called campylobacteriosis and is usually caused by 

consuming unpasteurized milk, raw or undercooked 

meat or poultry, or other contaminated food and 

water, and contact with feces from infected animals. 

While the bacteria can exist in the intestinal tracts of 

people and animals without causing any symptoms or 

illness, studies show that consuming as little as 500 

Campylobacter cells can cause the illness. 

Symptoms of Campylobacter infection, which usually 

occur within 2 to 10 days after the bacteria are 

ingested, include fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea 

(often bloody). In some cases, physicians prescribe 

antibiotics when diarrhea is severe. The illness can last 

about a week. 

Complications can include meningitis, urinary tract 

infections, and possibly reactive arthritis (rare and 

almost always short-term), and rarely, Guillain-Barre 

syndrome, an unusual type of paralysis. While most 

people who contract campylobacteriosis recover 

completely within 2 to 5 days, some Campylobacter

infections can be fatal, resulting in an estimated 124 

deaths each year.

Q. Are more people becoming ill from 

campylobacteriosis?

A. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network 

(FoodNet) found a decline, in the rates of infection in 

2009 for Campylobacter (30% decrease), in comparison 

with the previous three years of surveillance (1996 to 

1998). Still, according to the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC), campylobacteriosis causes an 

incidence of about 13 cases per 100,000 population 

diagnosed in the United States annually.

FoodNet is a collaborative project among CDC, the 10 

Emerging Infections Program sites (EPIs), USDA, and 

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of 

the objectives of FoodNet is to measure effectiveness 

of a variety of preventive measures in reducing the 

incidence of foodborne illness attributable to the 

consumption of meat, poultry, and other foods.

Q. Who is most susceptible?

A. Anyone may become ill from Campylobacter. 

However, infants and young children, pregnant women 

and their unborn babies, and older adults, are at a 

higher risk for foodborne illness, as are people with 

weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV/

AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant 

patients).

CampylobacterUSDA Photo
Campylobacter Questions and Answers

Food Safety Information 2

CLEAN: Wash Hands and Surfaces Often

•	 Wash your hands with warm soapy water for 

20 seconds before and after handling food and 

after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and 

handling pets.

•	 Wash utensils, cutting boards, dishes, and 

countertops with hot soapy water after 

preparing each food item and before you go on 

to the next item.

•	 Consider using paper towels to clean kitchen 

surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them 

often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.

Q: How can Campylobacter be 

controlled?

A. Campylobacter can be controlled at a number of 

different points in the food production and marketing 

chain.

On the farm: 

•	 Good sanitary practices on farms, as 

recommended by USDA, minimize the 

opportunity for the bacteria to spread among 

animals and birds. 

•	 Pasteurization of milk and treatment of 

municipal water supplies eliminate another 

route of transmission for Campylobacter and 

other bacteria.

In the plant: 

•	 Raw foods are not sterile, and there are 

no requirements that they be sterile. Food 

processing companies are accountable for 

following good, up-to-date manufacturing 

practices that minimize the opportunity for the 

spread of Campylobacter and other bacteria.

At retail: 

•	 A food recall is a voluntary action by a 

manufacturer or distributor to protect the public 

from products that may cause health problems 

or possible death. FSIS conducts a sufficient 

number of effectiveness checks to verify the 

recalling firm has contacted the distributor or 

retailer.

Individuals:

•	 Reporting the problem is another way to 

control these bacteria and prevent others 

from becoming exposed to the source of 

contamination. Any individual that experiences 

symptoms of campylobacteriosis should 

contact a physician. Physicians who diagnose 

campylobacteriosis and clinical laboratories 

that identify this organism should report their 

findings to the local health department.

Q. What is FSIS doing to prevent 

Campylobacter infections?

A. In its commitment to ensure that the public has a 

safe, wholesome food supply, FSIS is constantly working 

to improve the level of safety and reduce contaminants 

in the meat and poultry supply. 

In 1998, FSIS began enforcing a combination of 

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) 

based process control, microbial testing, pathogen 

reduction performance standards, and sanitation 

standard operating procedures which significantly 

reduce contamination of meat and poultry with harmful 

bacteria and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. 

Establishments can choose to include Campylobacter in 

their HACCP analysis. If Campylobacter is identified by 

the establishment as being reasonably likely to occur or 

if it becomes evident that it is an emerging problem in 

their process, FSIS would expect the establishment to 

have controls in place designed to address this microbial 

food safety hazard.

HACCP clarifies the responsibilities of industry and FSIS 

in the production of safe meat and poultry products. 

The role of FSIS is to set appropriate food safety 

standards and maintain vigorous inspection oversight to 

ensure that those standards are met. 

USDA is supporting research to learn more about 

Campylobacter in food and how to control it. 

Finally, FSIS mantains extensive safe food handling 

education programs to help individuals prevent and 

reduce the risks of foodborne illness.

Q. What is the best way to prevent 

Campylobacter infections?

A. Meat and poultry can contain Campylobacter. 

However, the bacteria can be found in almost all raw 

poultry because it lives in the intestinal track of healthy 

birds. Improving safe food handling practices in kitchens 

will reduce the number of Campylobacter illnesses. 

Campylobacter bacteria are extremely fragile and are 

easily destroyed by cooking to a safe minimum internal 

temperature. They are also destroyed through typical 

water treatment systems. Freezing cannot be relied on 

to destroy the bacteria. Home freezers are generally not 

cold enough to destroy bacteria.

To destroy Campylobacter and minimize the risk 

of foodborne illnesses:
Food Safety Questions?

Campylobacter Questions and Answers

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised August 2012

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety 

education purposes. However, USDA symbols or logos may not be used separately to 

imply endorsement of a commercial product or service. 

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

SEPARATE: Don’t Cross-contaminate

•	 Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from 

other foods in your grocery shopping cart and 

in your refrigerator.

•	 If possible, use one cutting board for fresh 

produce and a separate one for raw meat, 

poultry, and seafood.

•	 Always wash cutting boards, dishes, 

countertops, and utensils with hot soapy water 

after they come in contact with raw meat, 

poultry, and seafood.

•	 Never place cooked food on a plate which 

previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

COOK: Cook to Safe Temperatures

Use a clean food thermometer when measuring the 

internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and 

other foods to make sure they have reached a safe 

minimum internal temperature: 

•	 Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, 

chops, and roasts to a minimum internal 

temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured 

with a food thermometer before removing meat 

from the heat source. For safety and quality, 

allow meat to rest for at least three minutes 

before carving or consuming. For reasons of 

personal preference, consumers may choose to 

cook meat to higher temperatures. 

•	 Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal 

to an internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) 

as measured with a food thermometer. 

•	 Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal 

temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured 

with a food thermometer. 

•	 For optimum safety, cook stuffing separately to 

165 °F (73.9 °C). 

•	 Egg dishes, casseroles to 160 °F (71.1 °C). 

•	 Fish should reach 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured 

with a food thermometer.

•	 Bring sauces, soups, and gravy to a boil when 

reheating. 

•	 Reheat leftovers thoroughly to at least 165 °F 

(73.9 °C). 

In addition, do not eat or drink foods containing raw, 

unpasteurized milk

CHILL: Refrigerate Promptly

•	 Keep food safe at home, refrigerate promptly 

and properly. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, 

prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours -- 1 

hour if the temperature is above 90 oF (32.2 °C).

•	 Freezers should register 0 oF (-17.8 °C) or below 

and refrigerators 40 oF (4.4 °C) or below. 

•	 Thaw food in the refrigerator, in cold water, or 

in the microwave. Foods should not be thawed 

at room temperature. Foods thawed in the 

microwave or in cold water must be cooked to 

a safe minimum internal temperature before 

refrigerating. 

•	 Marinate foods in the refrigerator.

•	 Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow 

containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.

•	 Don’t pack the refrigerator. Cool air must 

circulate to keep food safe. 

For more information about Campylobacter, see the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

website at: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/

diseases/campylobacter/ 

If you have a question 

about meat, poultry, 

or egg products, call 

the USDA Meat and 

Poultry Hotline 

toll free at 

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The hotline is open

year-round

 Monday through Friday from 

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET 

(English or Spanish).

Recorded food safety 

messages are available 

24 hours a day. Check 

out the 

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www.fsis.usda.gov. 

FSIS’ automated response 

system can provide food safety 

information 24/7 

and a live chat 

during 

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