--- title: What To Do When Your Dog Gets Campylobacter date: 2022-11-25T10:30:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/what-to-do-when-your-dog-gets-campylobacter" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Case News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news) / # What To Do When Your Dog Gets Campylobacter What To Do When Your Dog Gets Campylobacter *Campylobacter* 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 the species.” ![](blob:https://marlerclark.com/ebbf01bf-9aae-4103-9a1a-5d3d309f08c9)Of its many species, *Campylobacter jejuni* is considered one of the most important from both a microbiological and public health perspective. *Campylobacter jejuni* is a gram-negative, microaerophilic, thermophilic rod that grows best at 42°C (107°F) and low oxygen concentrations. These characteristics are adaptations for growth in its normal habitat—the intestines of warm-blooded birds and mammals. Several closely related species with similar characteristics, *C. coli*, *C. fetus*, and *C. upsalienis*, may also cause disease in humans, but are responsible for less than 1% of human infections annually. “Campylobacters multiply more slowly than do the usual bacteria of the enteric flora and therefore cannot be isolated from fecal specimens unless selective techniques are used.” *Campylobacter* is the most isolated bacterial pathogen from persons suffering diarrheal illnesses, and *C. jejuni* is the most isolated of the species. *Campylobacter jejuni* has come to be understood as one of the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis. In the United States, these bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial foodborne illness, ahead of *Salmonella*—the second most common cause. According to the CDC, based on data collected through its Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (or FoodNet), *Campylobacter* is one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States. Most cases occur as isolated, sporadic events, not as part of recognized outbreaks. Active surveillance through FoodNet indicates that about 13 cases are diagnosed each year for each 100,000 persons in the population. Many more cases go undiagnosed or unreported, and campylo-bacteriosis is estimated to affect over 2.4 million persons every year, or 0.8% of the population. In dogs, typical symptoms include watery to mucoid diarrhea, straining, abdominal cramping or pain, lethargy, and fever. The diarrhea may last a week or more and often relapses suddenly after the dog appears to have recovered. Many dogs appear unaffected by campylobacteriosis and the condition is often self-limiting, requiring no medical intervention.Erythromycin or tylosin are the treatments of choice in dogs. Humans can be infected by *Campylobacter* from their dogs by handling its feces and not properly washing hands or being liked by the dog. In 2017 the Ohio Department of Health, several other states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) announced that they were investigating a multistate outbreak of human *Campylobacter* infections linked to puppies sold through Petland, a national pet store chain. The outbreak included 39 people with laboratory-confirmed *Campylobacter* infections or symptoms consistent with *Campylobacter* infection who live in 7 states (Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) and were exposed to puppies sold through Petland stores; 12 are Petland employees from four states and 27 either recently purchased a puppy at Petland, visited a Petland, or visited or live in a home with a puppy sold through Petland before illness began. ### Other Campylobacter Lawsuits [First Lawsuit Filed in Campylobacter Outbreak at Wild Ginger](https://marlerclark.com/campylobacter-landing-page-template) [Campylobacter Outbreak Traced to Organic Pastures Raw Milk Cream](https://marlerclark.com/campylobacter-outbreak-traced-to-organic-pastures-raw-milk) [Your Family Cow Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/your-family-cow-raw-milk-is-source-of-campylobacter-outbreak) [N. 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [Campylobacter Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter/about-campylobacter) What is Campylobacter? Campylobacter is a genus of bacteria that is among the most common causes of bacterial diarrheal illness in humans worldwide. The name means “curved rod,” derived from... ###### [The Incidence of Campylobacter Infections](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter/campylobacter-incidence) How common is Campylobacter infection? Campylobacter species represent one of the most common causes of bacterial diarrheal illness worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)... ###### [The Prevalence of Campylobacter in Food and Elsewhere](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter/campylobacter-prevalence) How prevalent is Campylobacter food contamination? Campylobacter infection is commonly associated with the consumption of raw (unpasteurized) milk, undercooked poultry, and contaminated water; however, most Campylobacter cases are sporadic... ###### [Transmission of Campylobacter jejuni](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter/campylobacter-transmission) Transmission of and infection with Campylobacter jejuni bacteria As discussed above, most Campylobacter infections in humans are caused by the consumption of contaminated raw milk and dairy products, food, or... ###### [Symptoms of Campylobacter infection](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter/campylobacter-symptoms-risks) What are the symptoms of Campylobacter food poisoning? Not all Campylobacter infections cause obvious illness. Symptomatic infection occurs almost exclusively in infants and young children, who can be infected repeatedly... ##### Outbreak Database #### Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks? The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ View Outbreak Database ](https://outbreakdatabase.com)