Epidemiology of campylobacter enteritis

Campylobacter jejuni/coli (CJC) was isolated from 386 patients (6.9%) of 5571 with a history of acute diarrhoea between December 1977 and June 1980. In the same study population Salmonella was found in 4.1%, Shigella in 1.7% and Yersinia enterocolitica in 2.1%. Only 5 (0.25%) of 2000 health controls had CJC in their stools. 53% of the patients had acquired their infection in Sweden. The peak incidence for CJC was from July to September. More than 50% of the patients were between 16-35 years. Within 1 month of the acute enteritis 80% had negative stool cultures for CJC. In general, campylobacter enteritis is not a severe disease and only 11% were admitted to hospital. The most common signs were high fever in 35%, frequent watery diarrhoea in 37%, colics or abdominal pains in 84%, and fresh blood in stools in 12%. Antibiotic treatment was given in 13% and was erythromycin in 56% and doxycycline in 26% of these patients. If chemotherapy was given and the strain was sensitive, no relapse occurred within 2 weeks of the treatment. The antibiograms for 435 strains showed that the aminoglycosides, erythromycin, doxycycline, chloramphenicol and nalidixic acid were the most effective drugs. This study implies that CJC is a common cause of bacterial diarrhoea also in patients with domestic enteritis.