Book a Meeting

Campylobacter

Campylobacter Infection

Campylobacter, a kind of Gram-negative bacteria, is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans. There are over 18 million cases of food-borne illness caused by Campylobacter spp. in the United States. Campylobacter enteritis is typically caused by Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli. The organism inhabits the intestinal tracts of a wide range of animal hosts, notably poultry; contamination from these sources can lead to foodborne disease. Campylobacter infections in human are mainly associated with handling raw or undercooked poultry meat. Most healthy and matured people probably develop some degree of immunity against Campylobacter. This may account for the lower number of cases of Campylobacter infection in middle-aged and older adults. People with weakened immune systems, like those with HIV infection, are more likely to become infected with Campylobacter. They also tend to have symptoms that are more severe. Campylobacter infection can also be transmitted via water-borne outbreaks and direct contact with animals or animal products. In recent years, some attempts have been undertaken to develop an effective vaccine against Campylobacter, and have achieved modest success.

Campylobacter

Symptoms

When full-blown symptoms occur, it is usually 2-7 days after exposure to Campylobacter. Firstly, symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and malaise, frequently occur, and then, these early symptoms are followed by crampy abdominal pain and diarrhea, sometimes with nausea and vomiting. Some infected people do not have any symptoms. In people with weakened immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.

Diagnosis

Campylobacter infection can be diagnosed by detecting Campylobacter bacteria in stool, body tissue, or fluids. The test could be carried out by isolating the bacteria and detecting genetic material of the bacteria. Some patients have symptoms that are not typical. In those cases, additional tests such as computed tomography (CT) scan will be recommended.

Treatment

Most people with Campylobacter infection recover without specific treatment. Patients should drink extra fluids as long as diarrhea lasts. Only patients who are very ill or at high risk for severe disease need antibiotics.

Prevention

Uncooked chicken, raw veal and raw ground beef are frequent sources of Campylobacter. To prevent infection, people need to cook poultry and meat thoroughly, wash hands after handling raw poultry and meat, and ash kitchen countertops and utensils thoroughly after they have been used to prepare poultry and meat. Usually, vaccination is a good way for prevention. For Campylobacter infection, despite many studies, however, no efficient vaccine is currently available.

Targets for the Development of Antibody or Vaccine Against Campylobacter

  • Lipooligosaccharides (LPS)

    In the case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) caused by C. jejuni, there appears to be an immune response against LPS on C. jejuni. However, studies have shown that LPS also caused an autoimmune-mediated response against human nerve cell gangliosides affecting the peripheral nervous system.

  • Flagellin

    Flagellin appears as an immunodominant antigen and an excellent candidate for peptide subunit vaccines. Some regions of Campylobacter flagellin are highly conserved and thus can be potential candidates for vaccine development.

  • Membrane proteins

    Several membrane proteins appear to be recognized in humans with Campylobacter infection. Many of the epitopes for potential vaccine candidates, such as PEB1 and PEB3, have shown highly immunogenic by use of sera from human infections. Other potential vaccine candidates, such as CjaA, CjaC, and CjaD, have been identified using Campylobacter coli-specific rabbit antiserum. Omp18, an18 kDa outer membrane protein, has been identified as a major immunogenic protein in human patients following campylobacteriosis.

References:

  1. Layton, S.L.; et al. Evaluation of Salmonella-vectored Campylobacter peptide epitopes for reduction of Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chickens. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2011, 18(3):449-54.
  2. Meunier, M.; et al. Promising new vaccine candidates against Campylobacter in broilers. PLoS One. 2017, 12(11):e0188472.
For Research Use Only. We do not provide direct services or products for patients.
Related Services:
Online Inquiry
For Research Use Only. We do not provide direct services or products for patients.

Contact Us
Contact Us
  • (USA)
    (UK)
    (Germany)
  • Global Locations