4. Campylobacter Jejuni
4. Campylobacter Jejuni (Image 4 of 6)
Not as well known as Salmonella or E.Coli, Campylobacter Jejuni are actually the bacterial critters that cause more than three quarters of all cases of food poisoning in the UK. As if this wasn't bad enough, it has also been linked with the development of the degenerative disease know as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which the nerves that join the spinal cord and brain to the rest of the body are damaged, sometimes permanently.
The spiral-shaped bacterium is most commonly found in the home as a result of using contaminated food, usually poorly prepared poultry. If you do not regularly clean and disinfect chopping boards, work surfaces or anything that may come into contact with infected meat you run a real risk of infection.
When cleaning make sure you change your cloths regularly as the average cloth can contain up to 4 billion living germs! As well as maintaining clean surfaces, make sure that uncooked meat is always covered and stored at the bottom of the fridge to prevent cross-contamination.
