The champion of bacterial gastroenteritis has a name and is called Campylobacter jejuni . La Jeni , for friends. And be careful because Campylobacter is not a regional third champion. She is a national champion (record in bacterial gastroenteritis in Spain) and WORLD champion with a title revalidated by the WHO since the world is world.
And you will think, and what about Samonella? And I will tell you the usual: That some raise fame and others card wool. Salmonella is runner-up, a second of life. You may never thank mayonnaise enough for its undeserved fame!
Who is Campylobacter jejuni?
It is a bacterium with a spiral appearance and a dapper disposition. After infection, symptoms appear between 2 and 5 days and usually last between 3 days and a week. These symptoms are diarrhea (which can be bloody but also watery), vomiting, fever, headache, nausea … and in general all those symptoms that leave you feeling like a rag when you catch gastroenteritis.
How is the infection transmitted?
Generally from foods such as meat and fish (and all its derivatives), dairy (and all its derivatives, especially unpasteurized) and contaminated waters (among which are the ice that we can find in some exotic countries).
However, if there are some favorite beings for Campylobacter jejuni they are poultry (and you are going to allow me a point to remember a terrible song of the summer ). If these birds are eaten undercooked, the chances that Campylobacter ends up in our crop are greater.
Okay, but raw chicken is not something you usually eat …
True! Chicken tartare is not usually among the house specialties (and look how they make fun of us with the tartar). However, although raw chicken is not consumed much, it is handled a lot. In fact, chicken is the most consumed type of meat in Spain.
And this is where something called cross contamination comes into play. It consists of something as simple and to walk around the house as cutting the chicken with a knife before putting it in the oven … And then, with the same knife, cutting the bread that is going to be served at the table. Bacteria from the chicken that end up in the oven end up churrascaditas and nothing will happen … But those that are left on the knife will go to the bread. And from the bread to our mouth.
Campylobateriosis treatment
There really isn’t much to do. Like most gastroenteritis, it must be passed by replacing fluids and electrolytes with serum and calming the symptoms as much as possible (with pain relievers such as paracetamol ).
Unless we are going to give an important speech (Nobel Prize type), we have to ride an airplane or some other circumstance forces us to be away from a bathroom, the use of antidiarrheals with loperamide (such as Fortasec ) is not recommended. The reason is that we do not have to cut the diarrhea but let it flow so that with it we also expel the bad bugs that we have inside.
The use of oral antibiotics is not indicated unless the infection becomes farruca and invasive and the bacteria go beyond the intestine. Let us remember that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can favor the appearance of resistance .
And now, let’s go with the Campylobacter jejuni video …
Well, that, I came here to talk about my bug. I say my bug because I became very fond of it in the third year of my degree, microbiology, the day the teacher explained it to us. The teacher put so much effort into explaining Campylobacter jejuni that it was obvious that this would fall on the exam. And fell.
Now Juanolo and I dedicate a video to him in which, to make it real, we move to record even in the WC. But don’t worry, the 20-minute bathrooms are very clean
