It can be difficult to identify specific foodborne pathogens as the causes of chronic illnesses because effects sometimes occur after a mild illness and may not be manifested until days or weeks after gastrointestinal symptoms have subsided. Such chronic disease may be caused by dispersal of the infective bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract to other locations in the body or by the induction of cross-reacting antibodies by some antigen or superantigen present in the infecting bacteria. These antigens may be similar to cell surface antigens normally present in the body, and therefore the antibodies raised against the bacteria react with and cause inflammation in healthy tissues. Campylobacter jejuni has recently come to the fore as the major cause of foodborne disease. These figures are undoubtedly an underestimate because most cases of campylobacteriosis are relatively mild and are never seen in a clinic or hospital.
Poultry is the primary food vehicle for Campylobacter .
Most cases of campylobacteriosis are sporadic or involve small family groups, although some common-source outbreaks involving many people have been traced to contaminated water or milk. These characteristics are adaptations for growth in its normal habitat the intestine of warm-blooded birds and mammals. Campylobacter can survive refrigeration temperatures but is sensitive to heat and, therefore, pasteurization of milk and adequate cooking of meat will destroy this organism. Campylobacter jejuni produces a number of compounds which may be related to its pathogenicity. Acute effects of Campylobacter infections range from a day of diarrhea and lethargy to severe abdominal pain and diarrhea that lasts for several weeks.