Ten strains of an unknown Campylobacter species were isolated from the livers of chickens with spotty liver disease in Australia. The strains were Gram-stain-negative, microaerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive and urease-negative. Unlike most other species of the genus Campylobacter, most of the tested strains of this novel species hydrolysed hippurate and half of them could not reduce nitrate. All strains showed resistance, or intermediate resistance, to nalidixic acid and most of them were resistant to cephalothin. Examination of negatively stained cells under transmission electron microscopy revealed that they were S-shaped, with bipolar unsheathed flagella. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene and the heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) gene sequences indicated that the strains formed a robust clade that was clearly distinct from recognized Campylobacter species. Unusually, they had a DNA G+C content of 27.9 mol%, lower than any previously described Campylobacter species, and they showed less than 84 % average nucleotide identity to the nearest sequenced species. Taken together, these data indicate that the strains belong to a novel Campylobacter species, for which the name Campylobacter hepaticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HV10T (=NCTC 13823T=CIP 111092T).

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Aplastic anaemia is a severe haematological disorder characterized by an inadequate number of hematopoietic stem cells, resulting in pancytopenia, formed by a hypocellular bone marrow. Disorders of this nature are widely treated with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). A potential chronic complication following (HSCT) is the growth of secondary malignancies. Notably, patients suffering from chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD) secondary to HSCT have been shown to be more susceptible to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Here, we present a rare case of a 30-year-old Libyan woman treated with HSCT for aplastic anaemia, with subsequent complications of cGvHD and OSCC after few months of HSCT. These carcinomatous lesions were detected in the buccal gingiva and retromolar pad area at the age of 31. The present case report emphasizes the connection between oral cGvHD and OSCC, and the potential appearance of OSCC after HSCT at any time of patient life. Thus, closer follow-up is mandatory for all patients treated with HSCT who developed cGvHD, and efficient cGvHD prevention and therapeutic approaches are needed.

Brucellosis in human is an uncommon disease in Libya and usually diagnosed by serological assays. The clinical symptoms of this disease are none specific which makes differential diagnosis difficult.The patient was a sixteen years old girl, lives in a rural area. She was suffering from intermittent fever for several days associated with chills, mild cough, and headache. Comprehensive physical examination revealed the patient was generally unwell, pallor and, had abdominal tenderness. Laboratory investigations revealed that the patient had pancytopenia and a marked increase in C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase. Provisional diagnosis was acute leukemia or aplastic anemia. Slow growth of Gram-negative coccobacilli in aerobic blood culture was detected. It could not clearly be identified by phoenix bacterial identification system. It was provisionally misdiagnosed Haemophilus spp; while finally it was identified Brucella spp. Brucellosis may manifest in a delicate manner which makes its diagnosis very challenging. It has the ability to affect various systems in the body, displaying a confusion in differential diagnosis, and delay in medical care, thus raising the risk of complications. Unusual medical laboratory findings should not be overlooked as they could help in bringing up the right clinical diagnosis.