Disease: campylobacteriosis
Caused by: Campylobacter bacterium
Associated foods: poultry (campylobacter jejuni) and pork (campylobacter coli) pork (campylobacter coli); shellfish, lamb, beef, water, unpasteurised milk and dairy products
Other associations: household pets
Infective dose: small with some studies indicating that 400 organisms can cause illness in some individuals.
Symptoms: watery or sticky diarrhoea. May contain blood. Other symptoms can include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, headache and muscle pain.
Incubation: two to five days
Duration of illness: seven to 20 days
Treatment: not treated with antibiotics unless complications occur
Most at risk: children under five
Is it notifiable: No.
What you can do to prevent it: Don't cross-contaminate cooked and raw meats. Zone the fridge, putting raw meats below cooked so juices don't drip down. Keep the fridge temperature below 5 centigrade. Don't delay on the way home from the supermarket, leaving groceries in the car boot for more than an hour. Wash chopping boards and knives after use. Cook pork and poultry so that there is no pinkness and the juices run clear. (Source: FSAI)