Campylobacter, despite its significant impact on food safety and public health, remains relatively unknown. While we often hear about foodborne illnesses caused by more familiar microbes like Salmonella or E. coli, Campylobacter tends to be under the radar of the consumers consciousness.

Campylobacter bacteria are found in poultry and can cause illness in humans at a low dose. It’s important we understand this microorganism’s biology and transmission routes to ensure the safety of our food supply and our health.

What is Campylobacter?

Campylobacter are spiral-shaped bacteria. They are incredibly versatile and can be found in various environments, including animal intestinal tracts. We can encounter Campylobacter through animals, food and water.

Notably, poultry products are most often associated with Campylobacter human infection cases. Chickens often carry the bacteria in their intestines, but it does make them sick.

Why is Campylobacter interesting?

What makes Campylobacter fascinating is its unique characteristics. These bacteria have a corkscrew-like shape, which helps them move through viscous environments. They are microaerophilic which means they thrive in conditions with reduced oxygen and have an adaptability that allows them to survive in stressful conditions. The conundrum for scientists is their ability to thrive in natural conditions, yet they are difficult to grow in the lab.

Human health and food safety

Campylobacteriosis is the illness caused by Campylobacter bacteria. It is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, outnumbering Salmonella, toxigenic Escherichia coli and Listeria combined.

The illness has typical food poisoning symptoms, such as abdominal pain, fever and diarrhoea. While many recover without complications, some individuals, especially those with weakened immune systems, may face severe health complications like long-term neurological damage (Guillan-Barre Syndrome) and septicaemia (blood infections).

The bacterium’s presence in poultry and other livestock can lead to contamination of the food supply chain. Campylobacter infections occur when we eat contaminated food, particularly undercooked poultry. Other ways we can get infected with the bacteria is through drinking contaminated water or direct exposure to animals who have the bacteria living inside them.

The resilience and prevalence of Campylobacter in some agricultural animals means it’s important we have strong measures and guidelines to prevent Campylobacter contamination in the food industry. Measures include good manufacturing practices and care in raw food handling. A key measure that significantly reduces the risk of Campylobacter contamination is properly cooking poultry products to an internal temperature of at least 74 degrees C.

How do we study Campylobacter at the Quadram Institute?

Dr Bilal Djeghout who works on Campylobacter

Here at the Quadram Institute, we study the bacterium’s genetic makeup and map the different lineages by using a range of conventional and new tools. Through culturing the bacterium and applying advanced molecular biology techniques and the latest DNA sequencing technologies, we can learn more about the biology of Campylobacter. We also use these techniques to detect the presence of Campylobacter in various samples, including in food, to understand where it lives and how it spreads in the food chain.

Though less well known, Campylobacter has a great impact on our health. Its ability to adapt and its unique biological and survival traits make it a challenging but fascinating microbe to study.

As our understanding of Campylobacter deepens, our ability to mitigate its impact on human health continues to grow stronger.