[Serologic demonstration of antibodies against Campylobacter jejuni/coli in man]

Antibody response to Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections in man was studied by microagglutination assay against homologues organisms isolated from patients and by complement fixation test against a commercially available group-specific antigen of C. jejuni/coli. Titers of agglutinating antibodies raise within 1-2 weeks post infectionem (p.i.) to an extent of about 320 (reciprocal titer) and persist about 3-4 months. CF-antibody titers raise only to about 40 but they persist for a long time. Because of the low titers in the CF-test and because of a missing seroconversion the CF-test is not suitable for the diagnosis of an acute infection. On the other hand the persisting CF-antibodies allow the diagnosis of reactive arthritis caused by C. jejuni/coli, particularly if the causative bacteria could not be cultivated.