I N F E C T I V E E N T E R I T I S Campylobacter

I N F E C T I V E E N T E R I T I S Campylobacter

Infection with Campylobacter jejuni (a Gram-negative rod with a distinctive spiral shape) is the most common form of bacte - rial gastroenteritis in the UK, typically acquired from eating infected poultry . It causes diarrhoea and abdominal pain and may mimic an acute abdomen. Severe cases may resemble ulcerative colitis, with rectal bleeding and colorectal ulcer - ation, causing diagnostic di ffi culty . The organism is fastidious in culture and may take several days to isolate in the laboratory . - Toxic dilatation and ev en disintegrative colitis have rarely been reported to occur. Treatment is generally supportive as the condition usually resolves without antibiotics. It is a notifiable disease.