Cluster of erythromycin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni from 1999 to 2001 in men who have sex with men, Québec, Canada.
From December 1999 to November 2001, a cluster of multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni enterocolitis was suspected within the male population of Montreal. Nine men, aged 26-40 years, presented with an erythromycin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant, tetracycline-susceptible C. jejuni enterocolitis. In March 1998 and February 2000, 2 additional men, aged 23 and 27 years, were infected with an erythromycin-resistant, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline-susceptible C. jejuni. All isolates were identical according to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and flagellin typing. Epidemiological data suggested a sexually transmitted enteric infection; all patients infected with the locally acquired epidemic strain were men, the 8 patients for whom sexual orientation data were available identified themselves as men who have sex with men (MSM), and 3 of the patients had had a sexually transmitted Shigella sonnei infection during a proven outbreak among MSM. Eight patients, 6 of whom were identified as MSM, resided in a predominantly homosexual district of Montreal or its surrounding neighborhoods. The emergence of multidrug-resistant C. jejuni justifies routine susceptibility-testing of these bacteria. MSM should be educated about the prevention of sexually transmitted enteric pathogens.
Gaudreau
Christiane
C
Département de Microbiologie Médicale et Infectiologie, Hôpital Saint-Luc, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada H2X 3J4. christiane.gaudreau.chum@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Michaud
Sophie
S
D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000187:drug effects*; D002170:Canada; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D004917:Erythromycin