Campylobacter jejuni infection causes cramping, diarrhea, abdominal
pain and fever within 2 to 5 days after a person has been exposed
to the organism. Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common
bacterial causes of diarrhea. Most cases of Campylobacter jejuni
come from handling or ingesting raw or undercooked poultry meat.
Although poultry and other birds are not affected by the bacterium,
other animals can be. Therefore it is possible for a person to
aquire the infection from contact with infected stool of an ill cat
or dog. This is what Campylobacter organisms look like through a
microscope. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.)
Review Date: 02/16/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)