Estimations are that in the United Sates, between two and eight million people become sick and 200 to 800 die because of campylobacter every year. The infection has also been linked to Guillain-Barr syndrome, which causes severe nerve damage. Studies indicate that 20 to 40 percent of the 5,000 annual cases of Guillain-Barre follow a bout with campylobacter.
More than 70 per cent of chickens and up to 100 per cent of turkeys are infected with it. Campylobacter also infects cattle, hogs and sheep.
Heat kills campylobacter even more readily than salmonella, so temperatures used to control salmonella will also be effective against campylobacter.