Taxonomy
Family: Campylobacteriaceae
Arcobacter
Campylobacter

Natural habitats
In the intestinal tract of animals.
Man is infected by direct contact with infected animals or by consumption of contaminated water or food, especially chicken and sometimes raw milk

Clinical significance
C. jejuni and C. coli continue to be the most common Campylobacter species associated with diarrheal illness and produce clinically indistinguishable infections.

In patients with gastroenteritis caused by C. jejuni / C. coli, patients symptoms range from none to severe, including fever, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea (with or without blood/fecal white cells), that lasts several days to more than one week.

Symptomatic infections
are usually self-limited, but relapses may occur in 5 to 10% of untreated patients.

Campylobacter infections may mimic acute appendicitis and result in unnecessary surgery.

C. jejuni is the most often recognized infection preceding the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

C. jejuni is in humans the most isolated.

The most common condition is enteritis, a large number of patients followed by acute colitis (enterocolitis).

Campylobacter infections may occur as acute appendicitis, which is sometimes unnecessary surgery.

Guillain-Barré syndrome,
and reactive arthritis may be the result of a Campylobacter infection.