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Diagnosis of campylobacteriosis
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Clinical diagnosis of campylobacteriosis is very difficult: it is necessary to take into account epidemiological data (contact with animals, group nature of the disease).
The diagnosis is confirmed by identifying the pathogen in a native smear of feces using contrast microscopy, isolating it from feces, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissue of an aborted fetus. Sowing is done on special selective solid nutrient media with brilliant green, thioglycollate, or on trypticase soy broth with 5% sheep or horse blood and antibiotics. The serological method of research in campylobacteriosis plays an important role in large-scale epidemiological studies, while its value in the diagnosis of sporadic cases is relatively small. Paired sera taken at intervals of 10-14 days are examined. In practice, both traditional (RSK, RPGA) and modern methods (ELISA, IB, immunoelectrophoresis, RLA) are used. The antibody titer reaches its maximum only 2 weeks after the onset of the disease, which complicates the early diagnosis of the disease using the serological method.
Differential diagnostics of campylobacteriosis of the gastrointestinal form should be carried out with other gastroenteritis (salmonellosis, Sonne dysentery, rotavirus diseases, gastroenteritis caused by the Norwalk virus and related viruses, poisoning, exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxin, etc.). In the development of dehydration syndrome, the disease should be differentiated from cholera. In case of abdominal pain (mesadenitis and focal inflammation of the intestine), campylobacteriosis should be differentiated from acute appendicitis and pancreatitis.
A surgical consultation may be required to rule out acute appendicitis and pancreatitis.
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