Campylobacter enteritis in Chelmsford.
During one year, out of 1829 faecal specimens examined at the Chelmsford Public Health Laboratory, campylobacters were isolated from 109 (6%), 21 of the positive cultures were from hospital in-patients and 3 were from hospital staff. The remaining 85 isolates were from specimens sent in by general practitioners. The authors' figures show a marked season variation with most of the infections occurring from June to September. The highest incidence (36%) was in the 20 to 30 age group, 99% of patients had diarrhoea, usually watery, occasionally explosive, and 9% had visible blood in their stools. Eighteen per cent. of patients had abdominal pain, 5 of the 21 hospital in-patients underwent abdominal surgery. Fifty-nine faecal specimens were examined microscopically and 30 of these had blood and pus cells or pus cells alone. Three patients had rectal biopsies showing a nonspecific colitis, 11 patients had recently been abroad.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons