STUDY OF CAMPYLOBACTER DIARRHEA IN ZAHEDAN REGION, IRAN

Abstract

During a period of 5 months of 276 faecal specimens of inpatients, aged 0 to 5 years old, with diarrhea in Zahedan, were screened for evidence of enteric Campylobacteria For isolation, the stool was plated on a selective medium and incubated at 42oc in a microaerophilic atmosphere for 48-72 hours. On Gram stain, the organisms were small, curved, comma shaped and gram negative rods. The following tests, which have been done, were among the most important differential characteristics for Campylobacter species: catalase, oxidase, hippurate hydrolysis, growth in the presence of 1% glycin, 3.5% Nacl and 42oC, susceptible to nalidixic acid and cephalotin. The results were shown that out of 276 specimens, 15(5.4%) were positive for Campylobacter, 10 organisms were C. jejuni, whereas 5 were identified to be C. coli. All strains were isolated from children below 2 years of age. These were sensitive to nalidixic acid, erythromycin, streptomycin and nitrofuranotoin, while the isolates were resistant to cephalotin, penicillin G, co-trimoxazol and amoxicillin.