Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni (camp-UH-low-back-ter juh-JUNE-eye) is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States. The vast majority of cases occur as isolated events, not as part of recognized outbreaks. Active surveillance through the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) indicates that about 14 cases are diagnosed each year for each 100,000 persons in the population. Campylobacter jejuni is a genus of bacteria that is among the most common causes of bacterial infections in humans worldwide. The name means "curved rod," deriving from the Greek campylos (curved) and baktron (rod). It has been noted that there "is wide diversity in the genus. The species are metabolically and genetically different to the extent that one can question whether one genus is adequate to house all of the species." Of its many species, Campylobacter jejuni is considered one of the most important from both a microbiological and public health perspective.