Volume 5, Number 1—February 1999 Campylobacter jejuni—An
Emerging Foodborne Pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is the most
commonly reported bacterial cause of foodborne infection in the
United States. Adding to the human and economic costs are
chronic sequelae associated with C. jejuni infection—Guillian-
Barré syndrome and reactive arthritis. In addition, an
increasing proportion of human infections caused by C. jejuni
are resistant to antimicrobial therapy. Mishandling of raw
poultry and consumption of undercooked poultry are the major
risk factors for human campylobacteriosis. Efforts to prevent
human illness are needed throughout each link in the food chain.
Awareness of the public health implications of Campylobacter
infections has evolved over more than a century (1). In 1886,
Escherich observed organisms resembling campylobacters in stool
samples of children with diarrhea. In 1913, McFaydean and
Stockman identified campylobacters (called related Vibrio) in
fetal tissues of aborted sheep (1). In 1957, King d