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Back to Bacteria Index
Campylobacter jejuni
Morphology
Campylobacter jejuni is a curved rod shaped bacteria, that is commonly
found in animal faeces and is one of the most common causes of human
diarrhea 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 Barre Syndrome (GBS).
It is commonly associated with chickens and has been found in wombat
and kangaroo faeces, being a cause of bushwalkers' diarrhea. It
naturally colonizes many different bird species.
Cultural characteristics
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.
Treatment
Normally no antibiotics are given, because the disease is
self-limiting. However, severe or prolonged cases may require
ciprofloxacin, erythromycin or norfloxacin.
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