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Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is one of the important bacterial pathogens causing entero-invasive diarrhea; however, C. jejuni infection is rarely complicated by bacteremia or extra-intestinal localization. In the domestic literature, the majority of the relevant reports have focused on Campylobacter fetus, which causes bacteremia more frequently than enteritis, but there are no reports of C. jejuni bacteremia in Korea. We present the case of a 13-year-old girl who presented with abdominal pain. Blood cultures revealed curved Gram-negative bacilli and small, mucoid, gray colonies on blood agar plates at 37°C. Biochemical tests showed oxidase-positive colonies. To confirm the species, 16S rRNA sequence analysis was performed. The isolate exhibited 99.7% homology to C. jejuni subsp. jejuni. The patient was treated with third-generation cephalosporin and aminoglycoside and had negative blood cultures after three days of treatment. She fully recovered within four days with no complications.
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Fig. 1.
Microscopic findings of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from the blood culture showing slightly curved gram-negative bacilli (Gram stain, ×1,000).
Table 1.
Phenotypic characteristics of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from the patient
| Test | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemical tests | Oxidase | Positive |
| Catalase | Positive | |
| Urease | Negative | |
| Hippurate hydrolysis | Positive | |
| H2S on TSI∗ | Negative | |
| Antibiotic susceptibility | Nalidixic acid (30μg) | Susceptible |
| Growth temperature | Cephalothin (30μg) 25°C 36°C | Resistant No growth Growth |
| 42°C | Growth | |
| Growth in MacConkey | Growth |
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