Campylobacter infection

Campylobacter infection is one of the leading causes of acute diarrhoea worldwide and is the most commonly reported bacterial cause of acute gastroenteritis in developed countries. It is also a major cause of traveller's diarrhoea.

Campylobacter jejuni is the primary cause of acute enteritis, causing 80% to 90% of all cases of recognised illness due to Campylobacter infection. Campylobacter coli is the second most common cause of acute enteritis. Campylobacter fetus is a rare cause of extra-intestinal infection, mainly in immunocompromised people.

Campylobacters are carried by a wide variety of wild and domestic animals, most commonly birds. Most C jejuni infections in humans come from the consumption of infected poultry.

Diarrhoea is usually self-limited and resolves in 5-7 days. Campylobacter bacteraemia is very rare.

Fluid and electrolyte replacement is essential. Only a small proportion of patients benefit from antimicrobial therapy.

C jejuni infection is a commonly identified antecedent to Guillain-Barre syndrome. C fetus is associated with endovascular problems (e.g., mycotic aneurysm, septic thrombophlebitis).

Bacteria of the genus Campylobacter cause a variety of infections, most commonly acute diarrhoeal illnesses.[1]Blaser MJ. Infections due to Campylobacter and related species. In: Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 17th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2008:965-7. In patients with liver disease, immunocompromised people, and older people, Campylobacter infection can cause bacteraemia or extraintestinal infection.[2]Kaakoush NO, Castaño-Rodríguez N, Michell HM, Man SM. Global epidemiology of Campylobacter infection. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2015 Jul;28(3):687-720. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462680 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26062576?tool=bestpractice.com [3]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food safety: campylobacter. 14 April 2021 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/campylobacter/index.html There are many species of Campylobacter. Eleven of them cause human illness, including enteric and extra-intestinal disease. The major human pathogens are C jejuni and C coli, which usually cause acute enteritis, and C fetus, which is the major pathogen causing extra-intestinal illnesses.[1]Blaser MJ. Infections due to Campylobacter and related species. In: Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Kasper DL, et al. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 17th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2008:965-7.[Figure caption and citation for the preceding image starts]: 48-hour culture of Campylobacter jejuniDr Robert Weaver, Image Library, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Citation ends].