Infection is more common than you think
Getting sick from chicken is more common than you think. According to the Consumer Guide, 30,000 Dutch people get fever and diarrhea every year and as many as 10 people die from eating chicken. The great danger? No, not the well-known Salmonella. Now the Campylobacter bacterium is the main culprit.
There are 15 types of campylobacter. The main species is Campylobacter jejuni. It is a bacterium that likes to settle in the intestines of the chicken. By the way, not only in the chicken, also in other birds and in pigs. This does not make the animals sick, but the bacteria can end up on the meat during slaughter. And we humans can get sick from it.
food infection
Research by the Consumers’ Association showed that campylobacter is very common on chicken meat: of the 40 samples of chicken fillet, no fewer than 27 were found to be contaminated with this bacterium. The body temperature of chicken is 42°C and at that temperature the campylobacter multiplies the fastest.
What about salmonella, that other well-known bacteria? That is on the decline, thanks to good control and measures such as vaccination of chickens. According to the Nutrition Center, campylobacter causes more food infections every year than salmonella. The complaints do not appear immediately after eating, but only after 48 hours or even a week. You will experience gastrointestinal complaints such as abdominal pain and diarrhea and flu-like symptoms, known as campylobacter enteritis. There may even be blood in the stool and some people have stomach cramps for weeks. Very occasionally more serious complications occur, such as damage to the nervous system (Guillain Barré syndrome), muscle weakness, intestinal inflammation and joint problems. But this is rare. And not everyone is equally susceptible to infection.
Heating through and through
How do you keep Campylobacter off your plate? The most rigorous is to remove chicken from the menu. But yes, that’s also something. The best advice is therefore: cook meat thoroughly, because campylobacter dies by cooking, baking and roasting. Also be careful with cross contamination. If you cut chicken on a cutting board and then the vegetables on the same cutting board or knife, you are also contaminating the vegetables. Tip: buy a separate cutting board for meat, in a different color! Clean the cutting board thoroughly after use with hot water and washing-up liquid. Also wash your hands well after handling and cutting raw meat.
Campylobacter is unfortunately quite resistant to cold: Campylobacter can also be present in frozen chicken. The defrosting liquid of chicken can therefore also be full of these bacteria, so be careful with it.
Be careful abroad
The chicken farmers say they are paying attention to the problem, but it can never be completely eradicated. Watch out is the motto. Incidentally, campylobacter is not only a problem in the Netherlands. Abroad, contamination can also occur through fruit and vegetables and even through tap water. Particularly in Mediterranean countries, Asia and Africa. It is better not to eat raw vegetables and fruit there and only drink tap water if it has been declared safe.
