ABSTRACT
DI S E A S E in humans caused by Campylobacter spp. is a serious emerging problem in the United States (CDC, 1994; FSIS, 1995; Buzby and Roberts, 1996; MMWR, 1997; ASM, 1997) and the world (WHO, 1995; Gore, 1996). Campylobacter has been targeted as one of the four most important foodborne pathogens in the United States based on the number of reported cases and their severity (CDC, 1994; FSIS, 1995; Buzby and Roberts, 1996; ASM, 1997). Currently, the number of cases of Campylobacter enteritis is estimated at 1.1-7 million per year, making C. jejuni and C. coli the most commonly isolated enterobacterial pathogens (Buzby and Roberts, 1996; ASM, 1997). Enteritis with diarrhea is the most common presenting symptom in humans due to Campylobacter spp. (Patton and Wachsmuth, 1992). The World Health Organization Surveillance Program for Control of Foodborne Infections and Intoxications in Europe concludes that C. jejuni and C. coli are responsible for the majority of cases of Campylobacter enteritis (PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 1993). Skirrow and Blaser concur and define Campylobacter enteritis and Campylobacteriosis as referring to the two species (Skirrow and Blaser, 1992). The majority of studies suggest that C. jejuni predominates over C. coli in isolates from clinically affected humans. In 1989, in studies from 45 U.S. states 91% of human clinical isolates were typed and 99% of these were C. jejuni (Tauxe, 1992). However, the occurrence of C. coli as a food-poisoning agent may be underestimated because C. coli is more
sensitive to short periods of storage at 4°C and tends to be more sensitive to antibiotics used in transport media (Ng et al., 1985; Madden et al., 1996). Recent molecular diagnostic techniques, including the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method, will better define the role of each in these infections (Madden et al., 1996). This review wil l focus on the pathogenesis of enteric infections caused by both C jejuni and C. coli emphasizing recent work. An excellent review of Campylobacter work up to and including 1992 is available in the book "Campylobacter jejuni: Current Status and Future Trends" (Nachamkin et al., 1992). Other recent reviews of enteric Campylobacter infection appeared in Microbiology (Ketley, 1997) and Trends in Microbiology, Vol. 96 (Wooldridge and Ketley, 1997).
