- Print Friendly - Help

Consumers – Campylobacter, cooking and food

Campylobacter can be found in food

There are many ways you can be exposed to Campylobacter. These bacteria have been found in poultry, raw milk, offal such as chicken livers, and a variety of other foods. You may also be exposed through contact with pets, birds, other animals, infected people, the environment itself, and untreated water.

Poultry is well recognised in New Zealand, and internationally, as a major source of Campylobacter.

Symptoms of campylobacteriosis

Campylobacter causes the gastro-intestinal disease campylobacteriosis when it lodges in the walls of the intestine. If you have been infected with Campylobacter, you will probably suffer from muscle pain, headache and fever, followed by diarrhoea (can be bloody), abdominal pain and nausea. Symptoms usually show between two and five days of exposure, but may take up to 10 days to appear. Most people feel ill for about a week.

Top tips to help keep your family and friends safe

Campylobacter bacteria multiply very fast in warm, moist conditions. Cross contamination is a known source of campylobacteriois. It can be easily avoided by following simple food handling tips:

• 4Cs rule – clean, cook, cover, chill [NZ Foodsafe Partnership]

• 20+20 hand washing rule before and after handling food [NZ Foodsafe Partnership]

• Top tips to keep food safe

Related links

• Educational resources on Campylobacter

• Journal articles about Campylobacter

• Campylobacter information for chefs and cooks, industry, scientists, and media

Last updated 11 March 2009