Campylobacter

Campylobacteriosis in humans is the most commonly reported gastrointestinal disease in the EU. In 2017, 29 EU/EEA countries reported 250,161 confirmed cases. Infections with thermophilic campylobacter in humans can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. Campylobacteriosis shows clear seasonality, with a sharp peak of cases in the summer months and a smaller peak at the beginning of 2019 (ECDC EC for DP and C. Campylobacteriosis. In: Annual epidemiological report for 2017. Stockholm, Sweden; 2019). Infections in humans are mainly transmitted via contaminated food. C. jejuni and C. coli are most frequently encountered in poultry flocks. However, in chickens and turkeys, Campylobacter spp. are considered a part of the normal intestinal flora, and infections in chickens and turkeys are mostly inapparent.