title: Clinical and bacteriological characteristics of Helicobacter cinaedi infection.
abstract: Helicobacter cinaedi was first isolated from rectal cultures from homosexual men in 1984. In the 1980s to mid 1990s, the microorganism was mainly isolated from samples from homosexual men or immunocompromised patients; however, during the last two decades, H. cinaedi has been isolated from immunocompromised and from immunocompetent individuals worldwide. In Japan, the isolation of this microorganism was first reported in 2003. Since then, many cases have been reported in hospitals across the country. Despite many reports, the etiological properties and pathogenicity of H. cinaedi remain elusive; however, we are increasingly able to recognize some of the features and the clinical relevance of infection. In particular, a long incubation period is essential for detection in an automatic blood culture system and many of the recent isolates are resistant to both macrolides and quinolones. Furthermore, there is an association between infection and severe or chronic illnesses, such as meningitis or arteriosclerosis, in addition to mild diseases such as fever, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, proctitis, diarrhea, erysipelas, cellulitis, arthritis, and bacteremia. In this review, we introduce the current knowledge and our latest findings relating to H. cinaedi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Japan. Electronic address: kawamura@dpc.agu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomida
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Molecular Toxicology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigemoto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Molecular Toxicology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akaike
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Arteriosclerosis; Emerging infection; Helicobacter; Nosocomial infection