Enterotoxin-like activity produced byCampylobacter jejuniandCampylobacter coliisolated from patients and healthy controls in Algeria

Enterotoxin-like activity of 110 strains of Campylobacter species, isolated during a case-control study of diarrheal diseases of children in Algeria, was tested on CHO-K1 cells. 64% of the strains were found to be positive. There was no difference between the patients and the controls. However, the enterotoxin-like activity was found more often in Campylobacter jejuni strains than in Campylobacter coli. Enterotoxin production does not seem to be the major pathogenic factor for Campylobacter-associated diarrhea in Algeria.