09.01.2013

Emerging Infectious Diseases, January 2013

Campylobacter infection, affects an estimated 2.4 million persons each year and is most often associated with sporadic illness rather than outbreaks. Transmission typically occurs through consumption of undercooked poultry or handling of raw poultry. As part of a health hazard evaluation requested by plant management, CDC conducted a study at a Virginia poultry plant that employed about 1,000 workers and processed up to 350,000 birds per day. Between January 2008 and May 2011, researchers found 29 cases of laboratory-diagnosed Campylobacter infections in plant employees. Most of the cases occurred among employees who worked in the live-hang area where chickens are hanging by their feet in a shackle conveyor. This area has a known high potential for contamination with Campylobacter spp. because the feathers, skin, crop, cloaca, and feces of birds brought to slaughter are often highly contaminated with Campylobacter spp. Workers in the live-hang area were disproportionately infected with Campylobacter given that only 50 out 1,000 employees worked in that area. Most (83%) case-patients had worked at the plant for <1 month before illness onset. This findings of illness in new employees is similar to findings from previous investigations of poultry workers.