Campylobacter Jejuni Bacteria

Last Tuesday Ridge started having some symptoms of an upset stomach. I just figured that he had had too much milk and that his stomach was upset because he is a bit lactose intolerant. The next day turned into fever, vomiting and diarrhea! The flu I thought...dang that nursery. Then the vomiting stopped but still a fever and diarrhea. The the fever stopped but the diarrhea increased! By Friday poor guy was pooing blood and mucus almost constantly! Rushed him to Logan to the pediatrician and spent the day Saturday collecting poo into tubes and took it to Logan Regional to be tested. In the mean time, his little immune system was working hard and his condition improved drastically. I got the phone call with the official diagnosis yesterday and said that this bacteria is usually a food boorne bacteria that is ingested somehow and is not extremely contagious unless one ingests the feces from the child, LOL! It takes about one week for the child to recover, which it has, and that no treatment is required unless he has a relapse. He has been such a trooper through this all, being his normal smiley self and trying to go on the big boy potty to help us cut down on the ridiculous amount of diapers we were going through. What a scare! I am confident that through every one's prayers, including Cody's fathers blessing, that he was able to get rid of this bacteria and recover quickly! So thankful that he is doing well now and that it wasn't something more serious.

FYISymptoms of Campylobacter infection
The illness caused by ingestion of Campylobacter bacteria is called campylobacteriosis. Diarrhea is the most consistent and prominent manifestation of campylobacteriosis, and is often bloody (Chin, 2000, MMWR, 2008, May 21). Typical symptoms of C. jejuni infection also include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain. A majority of cases are mild, do not require hospitalization, and may be self-limited; however, Campylobacter jejuni infection can be severe and life-threatening. Death is more common when other diseases (e.g., cancer, liver disease, and immuno-deficiency diseases) are present.

Children under the age of five and young adults aged 15-29 are the age groups most frequently affected. The incubation period – the time between exposure to the bacterium and the onset of the first symptom – is typically two to five days, but onset may occur as many as 10 days after ingestion (Chin, 2000; CDC, 2008, May 21). The illness usually lasts no more than one week; however, severe cases may persist for up to three weeks, and roughly 25% of individuals experience symptom relapse.