Isolation of campylobacter jejuni from diarrhoea patients in eastern provence of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Stool or rectal swab specimens from 607 patients attending the Diarrhoea Control Centre at Dammam, Saudi Arabia, were cultured for Campylobacter jejuni and some other bacterial enteric pathogens from July 1983 to January 1984. C. jejuni was isolated from 29 (5%) patients, isolation being highest among those aged under five. Other pathogens isolated were: Shigella 10%, non-typhi Salmonella 4%, and non-01 Vibrio cholerae 3%. Except for one mildly dehydrated patient, no other patients with Campylobacter showed clinical signs of dehydration on presentation. Of the 29 study patients, 55% complained of diffuse abdominal pain while another 25% had either macroscopically or microscopically evident blood in their stools. In 38% of patients, body temperature ranged from 37.1 to 37.7°C. Those studied were treated as outpatients, and were advised to take oral rehydration solution. Twelve of them (41%), who continued to have diarrhoea and passed bloody stools or had abdominal pain up to three days after their visit were given antibiotics. The observations of this study on the clinical severity and isolation rate of C. jejuni from patients with diarrhoea differ from findings of earlier studies done elsewhere in Saudi Arabia