Campylobacter enteritis in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Campylobacter jejuni/coli is one of the most commonly identified bacterial causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. In Nigeria, it has been reported in the northern part of the country, extensive work has also been done in the south-west leaving behind the middle-belt of the country. Objective: To determine the role of Campylobacterjejuni/coli as an agent of diarrhoea in the middlebelt of Nigeria. Design: A prospective case control study. Setting: University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), private hospitals and primary health centers all in Ilorin, Nigeria. Subjects: Three hundred and six children with diarrhoea and 100 without diarrhoea were randomly selected. Main outcome measures: Isolation of Campylobacter jejuni/coli from stool samples. Biological characteristics of the isolates. Results: Twenty five (8.2%) of the patients and none of the controls had the organism. Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli were 56% and 44% respectively. All the isolates were susceptible to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin. None of the isolates harboured plasmids. Conclusion: C. jejuni/ coli is an important diarrhoea agent in our geographic environment, further characterisation is desired of these local strains.