Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni)

Campylobacter jejuni is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral-shaped bacterium and a leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide (WHO, 2020; CDC, 2021). It primarily inhabits the digestive tracts of poultry and other warm-blooded animals, reaching humans through the consumption of contaminated, undercooked meat or untreated water (StatPearls, 2023). Upon ingestion, the bacterium utilizes its polar flagella to reach and invade the intestinal mucosa, where it produces various virulence factors, including cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), leading to inflammatory diarrhea and systemic symptoms (PubMed, 2022). While most cases of campylobacteriosis are self-limiting and managed with hydration, severe or invasive infections are treated with macrolides or fluoroquinolones (NIH, 2023). A critical clinical aspect of C. jejuni is its role as a trigger for Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute autoimmune polyneuropathy caused by molecular mimicry between bacterial lipooligosaccharides and human nerve gangliosides (StatPearls, 2023).

Other names

C. jejuniVibrio jejuni

Antibiotics targeting Campylobacter jejuni typically function by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis via the 50S ribosomal subunit (macrolides), inhibiting DNA replication by targeting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (fluoroquinolones), or inhibiting protein synthesis via the 30S ribosomal subunit (tetracyclines).