Role of Campylobacter jejunilcoli in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni/coli are well established causative agents of diarrhoea. In Nigeria, gastroenteritis due to C. jejuni was first reported in northern part of the country in 1981 and the South-Western part in Ile-Ife in 1983. OBJECTIVE: To re-examine the role of C. jejuni as an agent of diarrhoea after more than a decade at Ile-Ife, Nigeria and to determine the biological characteristics of local strains. DESIGN: A prospective case control study. SETTING: Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) Ile-Ife, Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and three children with diarrhoea and 100 children with other medical conditions other than diarrhoea were randomly selected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Isolation of C. jejuni/coli from stool samples collected from the patients and controls. Biological characteristics of the isolates. RESULTS: Fifty eight (19.1%) and 6% of the patients and controls, had the organism respectively. Campylobacter coli accounts for 53.3% of isolates. All the isolates were susceptible to erythromycin and there was no evidence of beta-lactamase production. CONCLUSION: Campylobacter jejuni is an important diarrhoea agent in our environment and should be considered strongly in children with diarrhoea. Complete characterization of local, strains is necessary.