Campylobacteriosis and water: An overview

Abstract

Campylobacteriosis is an acute infectious diarrheal disease caused by the genus Campylobacter. The infection is mainly due to consumption of raw or undercooked poultry meat, unpasteurized milk, and contaminated water. In recent decades, Campylobacter (especially Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari, and more recently Campylobacter upsaliensis) have acquired great public health importance worldwide. The incidence of Campylobacter infection varies in both industrialized and developing countries. Campylobacter species are isolated more frequently than combined isolation rates by Salmonella and Shigella species from diarrheic stool samples. Serological and nucleic acid-based assays are used to study the epidemiology of Campylobacter infection. Antibiotic resistance in C. jejuni is considered as an emerging public health problem. Various virulence factors such as flagellin, lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), adhesins, and invasins have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Campylobacter infection. In this review, we present information available through literature search on epidemiology, clinical presentations, and bacteriology of campylobacteriosis.