Campylobacter Infection and Animals
My-Dog.info > Dog Diseases, Bites, Worms & Ticks
Important Tip: Protect yourself against
getting Campylobacter from animals. Simply wash your hands with
running water and soap after any contact with animals and animal
feces (stool).
What is Campylobacter infection (campylobacteriosis)?
Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial disease caused by
Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli. Campylobacter usually
causes a mild to severe infection of the gastrointestinal system,
including watery or bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps,
nausea, and vomiting. A rare complication of Campylobacter
infection is Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nervous system disease
that occurs approximately 2 weeks after the initial illness
develops.
Can animals transmit Campylobacter to me?
Sometimes, yes, animals can spread Campylobacter to humans.
Most people get campylobacteriosis from contaminated food.
However, animals can have Campylobacter in their feces (stool).
If people touch contaminated feces, they can get sick. Animals
that may carry Campylobacter in their feces include farm animals,
cats, and dogs. Animals do not have to be ill to pass
Campylobacter to humans. People with compromised immune systems,
including those undergoing treatments for cancer, organ
transplant patients, and people with HIV/AIDS, have a higher risk
than others of getting Campylobacter infection from food and
animals.
How do I reduce my risk of getting Campylobacter infection
from animals?
- After contact with animals and animal feces, wash your
hands thoroughly with running water and soap.
- If you are immunocompromised and are getting a new pet,
avoid farm animals, cats, and dogs with diarrhea.
- If your dog or cat has diarrhea, talk to your
veterinarian.
- If you develop symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, and/or nausea, contact your physician.
Be sure to inform him or her of your pet and if it is
ill.
- If you are immunocompromised, be extra cautious around
farm animals and their environment.
How common is Campylobacter?
Campylobacter is one of the most common bacterial causes of
diarrheal illness in the United States. Virtually all cases occur
as isolated, sporadic events, not as a part of large outbreaks.
Active surveillance through FoodNet indicates about 15 cases are
diagnosed each year for each 100,000 persons in the population.
Many more cases go undiagnosed or unreported, and
campylobacteriosis is estimated to affect over 1 million persons
every year, or 0.5% of the general population. Campylobacteriosis
occurs much more frequently in the summer months than in the
winter. The organism is isolated from infants and young adults
more frequently than from other age groups and from males more
frequently than females. Although Campylobacter doesn't commonly
cause death, it has been estimated that approximately
100 persons with Campylobacter infections may die each year.
How is the infection diagnosed?
Many different kinds of infections can cause diarrhea and
bloody diarrhea. Doctors can look for bacterial causes of
diarrhea by asking a laboratory to culture a sample of stool from
an ill person. Diagnosis of Campylobacter requires special
laboratory culture procedures, which doctors may need to
specifically request.
How can campylobacteriosis be treated?
Virtually all persons infected with Campylobacter will recover
without any specific treatment. Patients should drink plenty of
fluids as long as the diarrhea lasts. In more severe cases,
antibiotics such as erythromycin or a fluoroquinolone can be
used, and can shorten the duration of symptoms if they are given
early in the illness. Your doctor will make the decision about
whether antibiotics are necessary.
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