Towards understanding clinical campylobacter infection and its transmission: time for a different approach?

Abstract

Campylobacter spp. are among the most commonly diagnosed causes of human infection. Methods for detection of the 29 campylobacter species have mainly focused on cultivation of the thermophilic species. More than 99% of clinical campylobacter isolates notified in the UK in the recent past have been from faecal samples and associated with gastroenteritis. Campylobacter enteritis notifications in temperate zones show a seasonal increase during the summer months with a sharp decrease in the winter months, a pattern which remains incompletely understood. The striking seasonality in the expression of many human genes, some concerned with inflammation and immunity, suggests a need for further study of the host regarding the temporal distribution of many human infections, including campylobacteriosis. A tendency for campylobacter to enter a non-cultivable state under adverse conditions effects a reduction in the number of isolations. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based screening approach for the presence of the Campylobacter genus and followed by speciation has provided some insight into the limitations of cultivation for campylobacter, also allowing the discovery of new species. The increased sensitivity of the PCR-based approach over culture-based methods may make it difficult for the laboratory to differentiate asymptomatic campylobacter carriage from clinical campylobacter infection in non-sterile body sites. Campylobacter infection depends on a combination of host factors, and on acquisition of a suitably virulent strain with a tropism for human epithelium. The possibility of persistence of campylobacter in a viable but non-culturable latent form in the human body may also require further investigation. The scope of this review includes a discussion of current methods for diagnosing acute campylobacter infection and for detecting campylobacter in water and foodstuffs. The review also questions the prevailing view that poultry is the most common source of campylobacteriosis.

Characterization of Campylobacter spp. Strains Isolated From Wild Birds in Turkey

“…Thermophilic Campylobacter , in particular C. jejuni and C. coli , have become well-recognized as the commonest causative agent of acute gastroenteritis in humans in developed countries ( Casey et al, 2017 ). In the developing world, campylobatecteriosis is much less investigated but it appears to primarily occur in children rather than adults and to be frequently associated with contaminated drinking water ( Platts-Mills and Kosek, 2014 ).…”

Diversity of transducer-like proteins (Tlps) in Campylobacter

“…coli (Cc) are among the most frequently isolated causes of food- and water-borne gastroenteritis in developed and developing nations [1–4]. They have been isolated from a wide range of animal sources, including cattle, pigs, birds, pets, and poultry, with poultry being the most commonly identified source of human infection, though this has been contested [3,5]. There is some evidence that Campylobacter may be carried asymptomatically by humans [5].…”

“…They have been isolated from a wide range of animal sources, including cattle, pigs, birds, pets, and poultry, with poultry being the most commonly identified source of human infection, though this has been contested [3,5]. There is some evidence that Campylobacter may be carried asymptomatically by humans [5]. Cj infection of humans can cause severe symptoms, including bloody diarrhea, and can rarely be responsible for severe sequelae such as the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in children and adults, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, other gastrointestinal manifestations, and malnutrition [2,5,6].…”

“…There is some evidence that Campylobacter may be carried asymptomatically by humans [5]. Cj infection of humans can cause severe symptoms, including bloody diarrhea, and can rarely be responsible for severe sequelae such as the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in children and adults, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, other gastrointestinal manifestations, and malnutrition [2,5,6]. Other Campylobacter species are less frequently associated with human disease though some, like C .…”

Determinants of sporadic <em>Campylobacter</em> infections in Denmark: a nationwide case-control study among children and young adults

“…The current gray areas of Campylobacter epidemiology in particular cover the true spectrum of risk factors and the relative importance of poultry in relation to other exposures. 27 – 29 Further, most case-control studies included persons of all ages which, considering the age-related partial immunity, may introduce bias as they are not all at equal risk of developing disease. 30 In other words, including controls from older age groups are likely to underestimate the importance of some risk factors and potentially miss others.…”