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Microaerophilic, motile, gram-negative rods
Two species infect humans
Campylobacter jejuni, an important cause of diarrheal disease
Campylobacter fetus subsp fetus, typically causes systemic infection and not diarrhea
Dairy cattle and poultry are important reservoirs
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Blood culture
Stool culture
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Either azithromycin, 1 g orally as single dose, or ciprofloxacin, 500 mg twice daily orally for 3 days, is effective
However, C jejuni isolates may be resistant to fluoroquinolones, particularly in Southeast Asia, and susceptibility testing should be routinely performed
C fetus
Systemic infections respond to therapy with gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, or ciprofloxacin
Ceftriaxone or chloramphenicol should be used to treat CNS infections because of their ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier