[A study of 30 patients with bacteremia due to Campylobacter spp]

To get better knowledge about clinical and bacteriological features in Campylobacter spp. bacteremia.

Over a period of 8 years (1987-1994) we prospectively analyzed underlying diseases, predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, complications and outcome of patients with Campylobacter spp. bacteremia. The study took place in an urban third-level teaching hospital. Antibiogram was tested in all the strains isolated.

We identified 30 cases of Campylobacter spp. bacteremia (26 due to C. jejuni and 4 due to C. fetus). Seventy-three percent of the patients were male and the mean age +/- SD of all the patients was 52 +/- 19 years. Ninety percent of patients had some kind of immunodepression related to immunosuppressive therapy or to underlying diseases, especially liver cirrhosis and HIV infection. All patients had fever and 40% complained of intestinal symptoms before bacteremia. Mortality rate in patients with C. jejuni bacteremia was 30.8% (8 patients) during the admission, the death was directly related to bacteremia in 11.5% (3 patients). In all the fatal cases C. jejuni was resistant to empirical antibiotherapy instituted. In contrast, none of the patients with C. fetus bacteremia died. We detected an increasing ciproflaxin resistance in C. jejuni strains during this period which reached to 75% in the last years. Antimicrobial susceptibility to erythromycin and aminoglucosids was kept in all the strains.

Campylobacter spp. bacteremia has a remarkable mortality rate, probably related to immunosuppressive underlying diseases in affective patients. In our institution we detected an increasing fluoroquinolone resistance over the years while susceptibility to erythromycin and aminoglucosids was maintained.