Assessment of the modified internal gas generator system for isolation of Campylobacter

The modified internal gas generator system (MIGGS) to create microaerophilic conditions for the isolation of Campylobacter was compared with two conventional methods viz., the Gaspak and the hydrogen and carbon dioxide gas mixture from gas cylinders. Ten reference strains of C. jejuni, C. coli and C. laridis were grown on Butzler's medium at optimum temperature under microaerophilic conditions. The MIGGS and Gaspak gave identical results which were better than with the compressed gas mixture. As the chemicals required for MIGGS are commonly available in the market, it works out to be less expensive than the commercial Gaspak. Further, investigations with MIGGS revealed Campylobacter in the faecal samples of 1.9 per cent (50 out of 2661) patients of diarrhoea visiting a Teaching Hospital in Ludhiana (Punjab). None of the 105 healthy volunteers excreted Campylobacter in their faeces. In the 50 positive patients, highest (22%) occurrence was observed in April followed by 16 per cent in May. High prevalence of Campylobacter diarrhoea was observed among infants and children up to 10 yr. Male patients were found to be more susceptible to infection than females (1.9:1). All strains were sensitive to the common antimicrobial agents tested.