Campylobacter jejuni Bacteremia Following Acute Enteritis in an Older Adult With Diabetes Mellitus: A Case Report

Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, whereas bloodstream infection is uncommon and occurs predominantly in patients of advanced age or with underlying medical conditions.We report a 71-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus who developed fever, altered mental status, vomiting, profuse watery diarrhea, and hypoxemic respiratory failure after consuming inadequately cooked chicken gizzards.Computed tomography demonstrated edema of the ascending colon without evidence of pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.C. jejuni was subsequently isolated from both stool and blood cultures, establishing the diagnosis of Campylobacter enteritis complicated by bacteremia.The patient initially received empiric meropenem because of severe systemic illness and was subsequently managed according to microbiological identification and antimicrobial susceptibility results, with eventual transition to oral azithromycin.His clinical condition gradually improved, and he was discharged without recurrence.This case illustrates that C. jejuni enteritis, although usually self-limited, can progress to invasive bloodstream infection and clinically significant organ dysfunction in older adults with comorbidities.Blood cultures and careful assessment for invasive infection should be considered when patients with suspected Campylobacter enteritis present with severe systemic manifestations.