Emerging Threats by Campylobacter on Public Health

Campylobacter spp., particularly C. jejuni and C. coli, are a major cause of enteritis in humans. Other species infect sheep and cattle, causing reproductive illness. Many animals carry Campylobacter spp. without showing any symptoms and shed the bacteria in their feces. Poultry, particularly broiler chickens are a major source of the bacteria, despite the fact that they rarely fall ill. Several techniques have been investigated to limit chicken colonization on farms, but none has been demonstrated to diminish Campylobacter prevalence in broiler flocks. Due to the importance of Campylobacter in the food chain represented by their impact on public health as these products may act as a reservoir for Campylobacter, this text is evaluating the potential of Campylobacter as threatening to public health based on the current knowledge about the epidemiology of the bacteria, their prevalence in poultry, foods of animal origin and humans, and their virulence factors. Some of the topics covered in this text include bacteriology of Campylobacter, epidemiology of bacteria, pathogenicity and pathogenesis of Campylobacter species, diseases caused by these bacteria, antibiotic resistance.