Antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from humans with diarrhoea and from healthy chickens

Abstract

The antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni strains obtained from different patients with diarrhoea and from different healthy chickens was investigated using eighteen antimicrobials. The bacteria were especially sensitive to carbenicillin, penicillin G, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, clindamycin, erythromycin and doxycycline. There was no significant difference between the bacteria obtained from humans and chickens. In cases where antimicrobial treatment is indicated, erythromycin or doxycycline are suggested because they are easy to administer and known to cause relatively few non- serious side-effects. The risk of treatment failure with these two drugs is estimated to about 20%. This makes antimicrobial sensivity testing important.