Isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from an appendix

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Pathogen Identification
• Clinical Case Study

Background:

• Campylobacter enteritis commonly presents with abdominal pain, often mimicking other gastrointestinal conditions.
• Appendicitis is a frequent surgical emergency characterized by acute abdominal pain.

Observation:

• A case of an 11-year-old boy with acute abdominal pain and early acute appendicitis is presented.
• Campylobacter jejuni (Skirrow biotype 1, Lior serotype 8) was isolated from the patient's appendix.
• Histological and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed the presence of Campylobacter sp. in the appendix tissue.

Findings:

• The patient developed a high bactericidal antibody titer (1,024) against the isolate, indicating a significant immune response.
• This immune response provides strong clinical evidence for the pathogenicity of the recovered Campylobacter jejuni.
• The findings suggest Campylobacter jejuni can be a direct cause of appendicitis, not just a mimic.

Implications:

• This case highlights the importance of considering Campylobacter infection in the differential diagnosis of appendicitis.
• It demonstrates that Campylobacter jejuni can be recovered from inflamed appendices, suggesting a causative role in appendicitis.
• Further research may elucidate the mechanisms by which Campylobacter jejuni infects the appendix and induces appendicitis.