Campylobacter jejuni as a cause of diarrhoea in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The incidence of Campylobacter jejuni in patients with and without diarrhoea was studied in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. C. jejuni was recovered from 3.8% and 4.3% of diarrhoeal stools of children and adults, respectively. From the patients without diarrhoea, the relative isolation rates for children and adults were 2.6% and 0%, respectively. Dual infections occurred in two children, with Salmonella and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli being the other enteric pathogen in each case. Cary-Blair medium was found to be an effective transport medium in recovering C. jejuni. Campylobacter enteritis occurred in patients of various age groups, indicating that this organism should be sought routinely by diagnostic laboratories in faecal specimens from patients with diarrhoea.