[The role of certain Campylobacter types in the etiology of enterocolitis].

Background: In recent decades, medical community has increasingly been calling attention to the importance of Campylobacter as an disease-causing agent in humans. Nowadays, Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is known as the most frequent bacterial cause of diarrhea worldwide. Epidemiological differences of the infections caused by Campylobacter, present in the developed and the developing countries, are attributed to the differences of the types of virulence. Due to the specificity, and the demanding features of Campylobacter, as well as poorly equipped microbiological laboratories, campylobacteriosis is insufficiently studied in our country. This investigation aimed to determine the participation of some Campylobacter species in the etiology of diarrheal diseases in our population.

Methods: The four-years continuous monitoring of Campylobacter presence was performed in the faeces of 12,605 patients with enterocolitis. The control group included 5,774 examinees of healthy children and youth. Faeces samples were cultivated on Skirrow's selective medium, and further incubated according to effective methodology for Campylobacter. Identification of strains was based on morphological, cultural and physiologic features of strains (oxidase test, catalase test, susceptibility to nalidixic acid, and hypurate hydrolysis). As a statistical method, for data processing, chi 2 test and Fisher's exact test were used.

Results: Campylobacter was proven in 3.86% of enterocolitis patients, and in 0.71% of healthy population. Out of 518 Campylobacter isolates, 86.48% belonged to enterocolitis outpatients, and 13.51% to inpatients. Predominant symptoms of the disease were diarrhea (81.83%), increased temperature (34.71%), vomiting (19.77%), and stomach pain (15.17%). The diseased were predominantly infants in the first year of life. Out of 300 Campylobacter isolates, 75% were identified as Campylobacter jejuni, 23% as Campylobacter coli (C. coli), and 2% as Campylobacter lari (C. lari).

Conclusion: Species of Campylobacter genus participate in the etiology of enterocolitis at 3.86%. According to numerous parameters the infection in our population coincides with the infection in the population of European countries. Frequent findings of C. coli in our region are in discrepancy with the results of numerous studies conducted in the developed countries.