Campylobacter Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Campylobacter, including details on food poisoning, infection, symptoms, treatment.

C. coli
C. concisus
C. curvus
C. fetus
C. gracilis
C. helveticus
C. hominis
C. hyointestinalis
C. insulaenigrae
C. jejuni
C. lanienae
C. lari
C. mucosalis
C. rectus
C. showae
C. sputorum
C. upsaliensis

The genus Campylobacter, (meaning 'twisted bacteria') first discovered in 1963^[1], describes Gram-negative, spiral, microaerophilic bacteria. Motile, with either uni- or bi-polar flagella, the organisms have a somewhat curved, rod-like appearance, and are oxidase-positive.^[2] Campylobacter jejuni is now recognised as one of the main causes of bacterial foodborne disease in many developed countries.^[3] At least a dozen species of Campylobacter have been implicated in human disease, with C. jejuni and C. coli the most common.^[2] C. fetus is a cause of spontaneous abortions in cattle and sheep, as well as it is an opportunisitic pathogen in humans.^[4]

Genome

The genomes of several Campylobacter species have been sequenced, providing insights into their mechanisms of pathogenesis.^[5] The first Campylobacter genome to be sequenced was C. jejuni, in 2000.^[6]

Campylobacter species contain two flagellin genes in tandem for motility, flaA and flaB. These genes undergo intergenic recombination, further contributing to their virulence. ^[7] Non-motile mutants do not colonize.

Pathogenesis

Main article: Campylobacteriosis

Campylobacteriosis is an infection by campylobacter.^[8] The common routes of transmission are fecal-oral, person-to-person sexual contact, ingestion of contaminated food or water, and the eating of raw meat. It produces an inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea, periodontitis^[9] or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain. The infection is usually self-limiting and in most cases, symptomatic treatment by reposition of liquid and electrolyte replacement is enough in human infections. The use of antibiotics, on the other hand, is controversial.

Cause

One cause of the effects of campylobacteriosis is tissue injury in the gut. The sites of tissue injury include the jejunum, the ileum, and the colon. C jejuni appears to achieve this by invading and destroying epithelial cells.

Some strains of C jejuni produce a cholera-like enterotoxin, which is important in the watery diarrhea observed in infections. The organism produces diffuse, bloody, edematous, and exudative enteritis. In a small number of cases, the infection may be associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura through a poorly understood mechanism.

References

1. ^ Nachmankin I; Szymanski CM; Blaser J (editors) (2008). Campylobacter, 3rd ed., ASM Press, pp 3–25. ISBN 9781555814373. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill, pp. 378–80. ISBN 0838585299. 
3. ^ Moore JE, et al. (2005). "Campylobacter". Vet Res 36 (3): 351–82. doi:10.1051/vetres:2005012. PMID 15845230. 
4. ^ Sauerwein R, Bisseling J, Horrevorts A (1993). "Septic abortion associated with Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus infection: case report and review of the literature". Infection 21 (5): 331–3. doi:10.1007/BF01712458. PMID 8300253. 
5. ^ Fouts DE et al. (2005). "Major structural differences and novel potential virulence mechanisms from the genomes of multiple Campylobacter species". PLoS Biol 3 (1): e15. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030015. PMID 15660156. 
6. ^ Parkhill et al. (2000). "The genome sequence of the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni reveals hypervariable sequences.". Nature 403: 665–668. doi:10.1038/35001088. PMID 10688204. 
7. ^ Grant C, Konkel M, Cieplak W, Tompkins L (1993). "Role of flagella in adherence, internalization, and translocation of Campylobacter jejuni in nonpolarized and polarized epithelial cell cultures". Infect Immun 61 (5): 1764–71. PMID 8478066. 
8. ^ cdc.gov
9. ^ Humphrey, Tom et al. (2007). "Campylobacters as zoonotic pathogens: A food production perspective <internet>". International Journal of Food Microbiology 117 (3). doi:10.1016 (inactive 2008-06-25). 

See also

• Periodontal disease

External links

• Campylobacter info from the CDC

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