Campylobacter enteritis in Nottingham

The incidence of campylobacter gastroenteritis in the population of Nottingham over a period of 3 years was studied. There was a seasonal variation with the highest number of cases occurring in the summer months. Campylobacter sp. were isolated from the stools of a total of 780 patients over this period. Of these 160 patients with gastroenteritis required admission to hospital. These patients' illness had an acute onset, and the predominant features were diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain, nausea and bright red blood with the stool. However not all the patients had diarrhoea. More than a third of the patients studied were less than 10 years old. The mean duration of symptoms was 4 days and the average stay in hospital was 5 days; some patients required prolonged admission (14 days). In a few cases campylobacter enteritis mimicked other clinical conditions including acute appendicitis. This study emphasises the importance of campylobacter enteritis as a cause of gastroenteritis in the community and the degree of morbidity associated with this illness.