Two Campylobacter outbreaks in Denmark have been linked to Danish chicken.
Between July 14 and September 13, the State Serum Institute (SSI) reported two outbreaks of Campylobacter jejuni in 57 patients. Sick people aged from 2 to 89 years come from all over the country. About half of the patients are hospitalized.
SSI estimates that several hundred people may become infected. Only a small proportion of cases are subtyped, meaning the actual number of people getting sick during outbreaks is likely to be much higher.
A previous update reported that the two outbreaks involved 20 and 12 patients, respectively.
One of the outbreaks now has 40 patients, the other 17. In total, 30 men and 27 women have been confirmed to have the disease.
Infected chicken
Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial infections in Denmark, and chickens are the most common source of cases. In 2024, seven out of 10 outbreaks were linked to chicken. A total of 5,546 cases were reported, up from 5,186 in 2023.
“The same types of sequences that we found in patients during the two outbreaks were also found in Danish chickens,” said Louise Müller from SSI.
The outbreaks are being investigated by the National Food Institute of the Technical University of Denmark, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) and SSI.
SSI is responsible for whole-genome sequencing of Campylobacter isolates from patients, and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is conducting research on food and environmental samples. Positive human samples are compared with any positive results from products and the environment. This led to Danish chickens being identified as the source of infection during outbreaks.
There has also been an overall increase as more cases have been reported since the end of July compared to the same period in previous years.
“Be especially careful when preparing chicken – both in the kitchen and on the grill. For example, the juices from raw meat dripping onto a salad can be enough to make the whole family sick,” said Sørin Kuaade Møller from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
Tips to avoid getting sick include washing your hands after touching raw meat, cooking meat thoroughly, replacing or washing your cutting board after using it for raw meat, and disposing of used food packaging.
“These new outbreaks highlight that Campylobacter continues to be a food safety problem. It is important that producers do a good job of infection control and that hygiene is optimal in slaughterhouses,” said Marianne Sandberg, senior scientist at the National Food Institute.
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