Campylobacter fetus foodborne illness outbreak in the elderly

Abstract

In June 2021, a cluster of seven cases of Campylobacter fetus infections occurred in a rehabilitation center and caused significant morbidity in elderly patients including five with bacteremia and two with osteoarticular medical device infections. The genetic identity identified by whole genome sequencing of the different Campylobacter fetus strains confirms a common source. This foodborne illness outbreak may have resulted from the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, such as a cow's raw milk cheese resulting from a farm-to-fork strategy.

Keywords: Campylobacter fetus; WGS analysis; bacteremia; elderly; food safety; foodborne illness; foodborne outbreak; outbreak.