In the current investigation, five cases of Campylobacter infection have been identified to date. Two of the five people sought medical attention. Testing by the Alaska State Public Health Laboratory identified the bacteria strain as Campylobacter jejuni. The exact same strain of C. jejuni was found in cow manure obtained earlier this year at the cow-share farm that distributed the raw milk. “The genetic fingerprint of the bacteria isolated from these two people and the cow is unique. It has never been seen before in the United States,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, State Epidemiologist. “These outbreaks are an unfortunate reminder of the inherent risks associated with raw milk consumption, and underscore the importance of pasteurization.”

Anyone who has developed gastrointestinal symptoms such as loose stools and cramping within 10 days after consuming raw milk should notify his or her health care provider. Persons who develop concerning symptoms of illness such as bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, arthritis, or muscle weakness should seek prompt medical attention.

Also, anyone who has consumed raw milk and subsequently experienced acute gastrointestinal illness in 2013 should notify the Section of Epidemiology Infectious Disease Program at 907-269-8000 (in Anchorage) or toll free at 1-800-478-0084.

Resources:

• Raw Milk Fact Sheet from Alaska Section of Epidemiology
• February 2013 press release on Alaska outbreak of Campylobacter illnesses
• 2013 Epidemiology Bulletin on raw milk
• Real Raw Milk Facts
• Home pasteurization information

While this outbreak, which lasted from early January to mid-February, appears to be over, the farm whose raw milk caused the outbreak could still be serving contaminated product, according to the document, published by the Alaska Section of Epidemiology (SOE) last week.

Between January 8 and February 13, 31 people  between the ages of 7 months and 72 years old fell ill with Campylobacter coli infections that were ultimately linked to a cow-share program on the peninsula.

Of the victims, two were hospitalized and four developed reactive arthritis, a painful inflammation of the joints caused by bacterial infections that can last up to a year.

The SOE report reveals that health officials had identified the cow-share program on the peninsula as the outbreak source by February 14. The following day, SOE and the Office of the State Veterinarian informed the implicated dairy and the public of the problem; however the dairy continued to sell its raw milk products on the Kenai Peninsula and in Anchorage.

At that point, 29 cases of Campylobacter coli had been linked to the dairy.

The following week, after two more cases were identified, health officials issued an updated health advisory, after which they say the cow share program provided them with a list of its customers that turned out to be incomplete and lacked contact information for most shareholders.

For more information, please see www.realrawmilkfacts.com.

What is the outbreak?

Campylobacter infection is reportable by state regulations to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Section of Epidemiology (SOE). Since late January, 2013, four people with confirmed Campylobacterinfection and at least one person with probable infection reported consuming raw (unpasteurized) milk in the few days preceding illness. One infant with close contact to a confirmed case-patient is also suspected of having Campylobacter infection. All six reside on the Kenai Peninsula. The Campylobacter isolated from the four lab-confirmed cases are a match by molecular techniques (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE). This strain of Campylobacter has not been previously identified in Alaska.

What is Campylobacter and how do people become infected?

Campylobacter are bacteria that can cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramping/pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever within 2 to 5 days after exposure. The illness typically lasts from several days to over a week, with variable severity. Some people, especially young children or individuals with compromised immune systems, can develop severe or even life-threatening illness. Infrequently, Campylobacter infection leads to long-term consequences. Some people with Campylobacter infection develop arthritis, and rarely, some develop a life-threatening disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that inflames the nerves of the body beginning several weeks after the onset of diarrhea.

Outbreaks of Campylobacter are often associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk —one such outbreak, traced to a Mat-Su Valley farm, resulted in 18 illnesses in Alaska in 2011. Other sources ofCampylobacter infection include consumption of undercooked meat, consumption of food or water cross-contaminated by raw meat, or contact with feces from infected animals. Human to human transmission can also occur.

What can you do?

• If you are currently experiencing symptoms as described above, please contact your health care provider and alert them to this Advisory.

• If you have consumed raw milk in 2013 and subsequently developed a diarrheal illness, please contact the Section of Epidemiology to report the illness and get answers to questions you might have. Please call SOE at 907-269-8000 (in Anchorage) or toll free at 1-800-478-0084 and ask to speak to a member of the Epi-Team.

• Please share this Health Advisory with others you know who consume raw milk.

Additional resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Campylobacter information:

 http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/campylobacter/

• General raw milk information:

http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/

• Alaska 2011 Epidemiology Bulletins on raw milk-associated Campylobacter outbreak:

http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2011_18.pdf http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2011_22.pdf

• Alaska 2009 Epidemiology Bulletin on raw milk:

http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2009_29.pdf

• Alaska DEH information on raw milk:

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/docs/vet/Dairy/RawMilkSharesFactsheet.PDF

Poultry is a known reservoir of Campylobacter, a bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illness. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most Campylobacter infections are associated with raw or undercooked poultry, or other foods that come into contact with contaminated birds.

Since animals harbor Campylobacter in their intestines and it is shed in their feces, the floors of poultry coops are rich ground for the bacteria. In poultry transport crates, bacteria in feces left by one bird might contaminate several of the next inhabitants.

While research has shown that washing cages and then drying them for one to two days can reduce or eliminate Campylobacter, this wait time is not practical for farmers.

But scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Georgia at Athens have discovered that applying hot, moving air to crates that have been sprayed with water can reduce Campylobacter to undetectable levels, according to ARS’ Agricultural Research Magazine.

The radical process is currently being considered to help curb the rampant levels of the food poisoning bacteria commonly found in uncooked poultry products.

Around two-thirds of fresh, raw chicken sold by retailers is believed to be contaminated with campylobacter, which can cause sever stomach upsets.

The FSA aims to reduce the proportion of birds in the highest category of contamination at UK poultry houses from 27 per cent to 10 per cent by 2015.

Read full article: “Chickens to be ‘superfrozen’ to kill food bug.”

http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Food-Safety/Campylobacter-is-smarter-than-we-thought-scientists

The $2.5 million grant announced Friday is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It will help the researchers develop new methods to manage Campylobacter, a bacteria carried primarily by poultry. It’s difficult to track and contain the bacteria because infected chickens show no signs of illness.

Campylobacter is a leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, causing an estimated 800,000 illnesses a year.

The research team aims to identify risk factors that affect infection among live birds and contamination of poultry carcasses. Their goal is to work on vaccines, management of litter on poultry farms and other methods to help reduce infections.

SDDA advises consumers that raw milk recently purchased from this business may contain harmful bacteria that can lead to campylobacter infection. Symptoms of this infection include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and can sometimes progress to more serious illness, such as kidney failure and other complications.

The implicated milk is sold at a retail outlet in Spearfish, Black Hills Farmers Market at Founder’s Park in Rapid City and other locations in the Black Hills. If you have purchased this raw milk, SDDA advises the product be discarded or returned.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), pasteurized milk that is correctly handled in the dairy, bottled, sealed and refrigerated after pasteurization, and that is properly handled by the consumer, is very unlikely to contain illness-causing bacteria.

The SDDA requires producers selling raw milk to be permitted through the state, inspected once or twice a year depending on grade of milk and provide a monthly quality analysis.