Campylobacter

Campylobacter is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. more...

Infection

Infection with a Campylobacter species is one of the most common causes of human bacterial gastroenteritis. In the United States, 15 out of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with campylobacteriosis every year, and with many cases going unreported, up to 0.5% of the general population may unknowingly harbor Campylobacter in their gut annually. Diarrhea, cramps, abdominal pain, and fever develop within 2–5 days of picking up a pathogenic Campylobacter species, and in most people, the illness lasts for 7–10 days. But the infection can sometimes be fatal, and some individuals develop Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which the nerves that join the spinal cord and brain to the rest of the body are damaged, sometimes permanently.

Campylobacteriosis is usually caused by C. jejuni, a spiral-shaped bacterium normally found in cattle, swine, and birds, where it causes no problems. But the illness can also be caused by C. coli (also found in cattle, swine, and birds), C. upsaliensis (found in cats and dogs), and C. lari (present in seabirds in particular). Disease-causing bacteria generally get into people via contaminated food, often undercooked or poorly handled poultry, although contact with contaminated water, livestock, or household pets can also cause disease.

Treatment

Infections of poultry was treated by enrofloxacin and sarafloxacin, many times by mass administration to flocks for single instances of infection. According to the FDA study banning this practice, this generally did not eliminate all campy bacteria, and promoted populations of bacteria resitant to fluoroquinolone drugs (like the human drug ciprofloxacin).

Species

• Campylobacter coli
• Campylobacter jejuni
• Campylobacter lari
• Campylobacter insulaenigrae
• Campylobacter upsaliensis
• Campylobacter helveticus
• Campylobacter fetus
• Campylobacter hyointestinalis
• Campylobacter lanienae
• Campylobacter mucosalis
• Campylobacter curvus
• Campylobacter concisus
• Campylobacter rectus
• Campylobacter showae
• Campylobacter gracilis
• Campylobacter hominis
• Campylobacter sputorum

Other resources

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