In mid-July 2024, 2 Washington residents in different counties were infected with the same, highly related strain of Campylobacter jejuni. Both drank Jim’s Jerseys raw milk produced by Old Silvana Creamery (Arlington, WA) shortly before becoming ill.

Raw milk is a high-risk food for causing illness because it is not heat treated (pasteurized) to kill germs that can make people sick. Campylobacter jejuni and other bacteria may naturally be in cattle manure which can contaminate milk during production.

The production of raw milk in Washington is regulated by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. In response to these illness reports, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) tested milk samples collected from the creamery and conducted an inspection of both the dairy farm and the milk plant. The results for all the samples were “Not found” for Campylobacter. Both the dairy farm and the milk plant had passing inspections. A recall of the milk was not conducted.

WSDA collects routine samples from the firm on a monthly basis that includes screening for pathogens including Campylobacter and will continue to do so moving forward.