Infective dose of Campylobacter jejuni in milk

Abstract

Unpasteurised milk is now recognised as a vehicle of infection for Campylobacter jejuni. Fourteen milk-associated outbreaks involving more than 4000 cases have been investigated in the last three years in Great Britain, and there is evidence that sections of the population that regularly consume unpasteurised milk have a higher level of detectable antibodies to C jejuni than does the general population (unpublished observations). One of the features of these outbreaks has been the enormous dilution of the original contaminating dose in the bulk tank in which the milk is stored. As C jejuni, unlike salmonellae, will not grow in milk, the occurrence of cases suggests a very low infective dose.