Campylobacter infection associated with raw milk. An outbreak of gastroenteritis due to Campylobacter jejuni and thermotolerant Campylobacter fetus subsp fetus
B. S. Klein, J. M. Vergeront, M. J. Blaser, P. Edmonds, D. J. Brenner, D. Janssen and J. P. Davis
Raw milk is identified with increasing numbers of outbreaks of
gastroenteritis and is an important vehicle for transmission of
Campylobacter infection. Unlike Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter fetus
subsp fetus has not been associated with common-source outbreaks of
gastroenteritis. This report describes an outbreak of gastroenteritis
involving C jejuni and a thermotolerant strain of C fetus subsp fetus
associated with raw milk. Fifteen (39%) of 38 persons who attended a
banquet in Wisconsin in June 1982 developed acute gastroenteritis. Stool
specimens were obtained from nine ill guests; four yielded C jejuni and
three yielded C fetus subsp fetus. The C fetus subsp fetus isolates were
identified fortuitously, in part because of unusual thermotolerance (growth
at 42 degrees C), permitting isolation at temperature appropriate for C
jejuni. Survey results implicated raw milk as the source of the outbreak.
Findings provide evidence of a potentially emergent milkborne pathogen
contributing to the risk of raw milk consumption and suggest that current
diagnostic laboratory techniques may fail to identify significant foodborne
agents.
