Campylobacter Dr.

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Campylobacter, are Gram-negative rods that are all widely distributed in

nature.
The campylobacters are found in many species of animals, including many
domesticated animals.
Campylobacter jejuniis a common cause of enteritis in humans.

CAMPYLOBACTER
Campylobacters cause both diarrheal and systemic diseases, and are
among the most widespread causes of infection in the world.
C jejuniis the prototype organism in the group and is a very common cause
of diarrhea in humans.

CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI
C jejunihas emerged as common human pathogen, causing mainly enteritis
and occasionally systemic infection. These bacteria are at least as
common as salmonellae and shigellae as a cause of diarrhea.

Morphology and Identification

• C jejuniare Gram-negative rods with comma, S, or “gull wing”

Shapes.
• They are motile, with a single polar flagellum.
• do not form spores.
Antigenic Structure and Toxins

The campylobacters have:

1. Lipopolysaccharides with endotoxic activity.
2. Cytopathic extracellular toxins
3. Enterotoxins have been found.

Transmission
• Transmission is usually fecal–oral. Food and water contaminated
with animal feces are the major sources of human infection.
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• Foods, such as poultry, meat, and unpasteurized milk, are commonly

involved.
• Human-to-human transmission occurs but is less frequent than
animal-to-human transmission.

Pathogenesis and Pathology

C jejuniis susceptible to gastric acid, and ingestion of about104 organisms
is usually necessary to produce infection.
This is similar to that required for Salmonella and Shigellainfection but
less than that for Vibrio infection.
The organisms multiply in the small intestine invade the

epithelium produce inflammation that results in

the appearance of red and white blood cells in the stools.

Occasionally, the bloodstream is invaded, and enteric fever develops.

Localized tissue invasion coupled with the toxic activity appears to be
responsible for the enteritis.

Clinical Findings
Clinical manifestations are
• crampy abdominal pain
• profuse diarrhea that may be grossly bloody
• Headache
• Malaise
• fever.
• Usually the illness is self-limited to a period of 5–8 days, but
occasionally it continues longer. Most cases resolve without
antimicrobial therapy.

• Certain serotypes of C jejunihave been associated with

postdiarrheal Guillain-Barre syndrome, a form of ascending

paralytic disease (is an autoimmune disease attributed to the

formation of antibodies against C. jejunithat cross-react with

antigens on neurons).

• Reactive arthritis and Reiter’s syndrome may also follow acute

Campylobacter diarrhea.

Diagnostic Laboratory Tests

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A. Specimens
Diarrheal stool is the usual specimen

B. Smears
Gram-stained smears of stool may show the typical “gull wing”–shaped
rods.
Dark-field or phase contrast microscopy may show the typical darting
motility of the organisms.

C. Culture
If the patient has diarrhea, a stool specimen is cultured on a blood agar
plate containing antibiotics that inhibit most other fecal flora.
The plate is incubated at 42°C in a microaerophilic atmosphere containing
5% oxygen and 10% carbon dioxide, which favors the growth of C. jejuni.
Although C jejunigrows well at 36–37°C, incubation at 42°C prevents
growth of most of the other bacteria present in feces, thus simplifying
the identification of C jejuni.
Skirrow’s medium contains vancomycin, polymyxin B, and trimethoprim to
inhibit growth of other bacteria.
The colonies tend to be colorless or gray. They may be watery and
spreading or round and convex, and both colony types may appear on one
agar plate.

Treatment
Erythromycin or ciprofloxacin is used successfully in C. jejuni.

Control
There is no vaccine or other specific preventive measure.
Proper sewage disposal and personal hygiene (hand washing) are
important.