Campylobacter jejuni is a species of curved, rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in animal faeces. It is one of the most common causes of human diarrhoea in developed countries. Food poisoning caused by Campylobacter species can be severely debilitating but is rarely life-threatening. It has been linked with subsequent development of the neurodegenerative disease Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

It is commonly associated with chickens and has been found in wombat and kangaroo faeces, being a cause of bushwalkers' diarrhoea. It naturally colonises many different bird species.

In the laboratory, Campylobacter is grown on specially selective agar plates at 42°C, the normal avian body temperature, rather than 37°C, the temperature at which other bacteria are often grown. Since the colonies are oxidase positive, they will usually only grow in scanty amounts on the plates. Microaerophilic conditions are required for luxurious growth.

Normally no antibiotics are given, because the disease is self-limiting. However, severe or prolonged cases may require ciprofloxacin, erythromycin or norfloxacin .

See also Campylobacteriosis

Reference

• (2005) Multiple Campylobacter Genomes Sequenced. PLoS Biol 3(1): e40.