Campylobacter is a Gram-negative foodborne pathogen that is the causative agent of campylobacteriosis.1 A publication by Scallan et al.2 in 2011 estimated that 8,463 human foodborne campylobacteriosis cases, including 76 deaths, occur annually in the US. Campylobacter jejuni is now recognized as one of the main causes of bacterial foodborne disease in many developed countries. Numerous species of Campylobacter have been implicated in human disease, with C. jejuni and C. coli being the most common.
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne campylobacteriosis in the US and Canada include:
Qijing Zhang, Iowa State University, USA
Shelly McKee, Auburn University, USA
Jennifer Quinlan, Drexel University, USA
Norm Sterm, University of Georgia, Center for Food Safety, USA
Michael Doyle, University of Georgia, Center for Food Safety, USA
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne campylobacteriosis in Europe include:
Brendan Wren, University of London, United Kingdom
Paul Whyte, UCD Dublin, Ireland
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne campylobacteriosis in South and Latin America include:
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne campylobacteriosis in Asia and Australia include:
Nigel French, Massey University, New Zealand
Additional resources on Campylobacter spp.:
A number of key sources on Campylobacter spp. and campylobacteriosis are available. For a comprehensive overview on campylobacteriosis, we suggest the book "Campylobacter" or "Microbial Food Safety in Animal Agriculture: Current Topics". For public health advise on how to reduce the risk of Campylobacteriosis infections, a number of WWW pages are available from the US CDC, including a factsheet on "Campylobacter" and also a brief overview of "Campylobacter Infection and Animals".
References
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campylobacter
2Scallan et al. 2011.Emerging Infectious Diseases 17:7-15 PMID:21192848