Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis in Turkish children

Summary Four hundred children between the ages of 1 month and 14 years with the complaint of diarrhea were studied to assessCampylobacter jejuni isolation rates in childhood acute gastroenteritis in Turkey and to clarify clinical presentations ofC. jejuni enteritis.C. jejuni was found to be the second most common isolate with a rate of 8.3%, the first beingShigella strains. The highest isolation rate was in the 6 to 14-year age range at 12%. The most frequent symptoms in patients withC. jejuni enteritis were abdominal pain (51.5%), vomiting (36.4%) and fever (30.3%). Stool examination revealed bloody mucous stool in 51.5% of the patients, and erythrocytes and/or leucocytes were detected in 42.4%. Only 12.1% of the patients withC. jejuni enteritis were hospitalized in this study.