Symptoms
Possible symptoms of campylobacteriosis include:
- Diarrhea, watery to mushy, sometimes with blood and mucus in the stool.
- Nausea, vomiting
- Abdominal pain, abdominal cramps
- Feeling sick, fever, headache
- Muscle and joint pain
Symptoms begin about two to five days after infection and usually last a week. Rarely, complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome or reactive arthritis may occur. An asymptomatic course is also possible. Campylobacteriosis is the most common bacterial gastroenteritis. Many thousands of cases are reported each year in many countries.
Causes
The cause of the disease is infection of the intestine with bacteria of the genus , mainly with or . These are spiral, gram-negative, and chiselled rod-shaped bacteria. The natural reservoir of the pathogens are domestic, wild and farm animals, in which they occur in the intestine. The bacteria are usually transmitted via food, especially raw or undercooked poultry meat, raw milk or water. Other foods can be cross-contaminated with raw meat or meat juices. Infection is also possible through contact with infected animals. Human-to-human transmission, on the other hand, is rarely observed. In contrast to salmonellosis, the infectious dose is low, i.e., a few bacteria are already sufficient (> 500).
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical symptoms, patient history, physical examination, and laboratory methods (stool examination).
Prevention
- Roast meat well, especially poultry.
- Good kitchen hygiene: wash hands before cooking, prevent cross-contamination, raw meat should not come into contact with other foods, either directly or indirectly!
- After contact with animals, wash hands well with soap and water.
- Do not consume raw milk.
Drug treatment
Attention should be paid to adequate fluid and electrolyte intake ( Oral rehydration solution). In addition, other antidiarrheal agents such as probiotics, activated charcoal, or tanning agents are available. Peristaltic inhibitors such as loperamide (Imodium, generics), on the other hand, are not recommended. Antibiotics such as macrolides and quinolones are given only if the course is severe, for example, in immunosuppressed patients with systemic disease.