Campylobacteriosis - Cattle

Campylobacter (Sourced from Wiki Commons)


Gastrointestinal campylobacteriosis is caused by Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli. It causes diarrhoea mainly in young animals and can infect cattle as well as other species e.g. dogs, cats, sheep, goat, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, and mink. Campylobacter species can be found in both healthy and diseased gastrointestinal tracts of animals and can be spread via the faecal oral route. Although C. jejuni rarely causes fatal disease in animals, it the leading cause of foodborne diseases in humans and causes diarrhoea and cramps. Humans can become infected by contaminated poultry skin, meat, milk and water sources. It can also be spread by humans via poor hygiene and during food processing.