Health officials in Pennsylvania and Maryland are investigating up to 20 cases of Campylobacter infection associated with consumption of raw (unpasteurized) milk from the Family Cow dairy store in Chambersburg, Pa.
This is the 11th foodborne illness outbreak tied to raw milk in the last 12 months. Of those, five were caused by Campylobacter, a bacteria that sickens more than 2.5 million Americans every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For those with an infection caused by Campylobacter, symptoms will include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after ingesting the organism.
While most people who contract a Campylobacter infection, called campylobacteriosis, recover completely within 2 to 5 days, some Campylobacter infections can lead to serious complications including: meningitis, proctitis, arthritis, blood poisoning, severe dehydration and Guillain-Barrè syndrome, a type of paralysis; and in rare cases, death.
Raw milk is a hazardous food simply because it can contain many different types of pathogenic bacteria. Raw milk has been found to be contaminated with other pathogens too, such as Salmonella, Brucella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes. Outbreaks from these pathogens have been linked to raw milk over the years in this country.
Drinking unpasteurized milk, or eating raw or undercooked meat or poultry are the most common causes of campylobacteriosis, according to the CDC. Cross contamination from cutting boards – cutting poultry or meat on a cutting board and then using the unwashed board to prepare other food, is one way people can get sick. Just a drop of liquid from raw chicken is enough to cause infection, according to the CDC.
