Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Pediatric Campylobacter spp. Acute Gastroenteritis

Although Campylobacter strains are one cause of acute bacterial gastroenteritis, their clinical and laboratory findings have only been examined in a few studies. This study was performed to evaluate the frequency level as well as the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with acute gastroenteritis caused by Campylobacter. In this cross-sectional study, 419 Iranian children in Semnan city with acute gastroenteritis were assessed for their clinical and laboratory findings, including fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, dehydration, the presence of red blood cells and white blood cells (WBCs) in the stool, and leukocytosis. After being prepared for testing, a sample of the patient’s stool was also examined for the presence of Campylobacter strains through microscopic examination, culture, and chemical reactions. There were 36 positive cultures (8.6%) for Campylobacter, with frequencies of 6.4% and 10.3% for boys and girls, respectively (P = 0.16). The highest frequency of positive culture belonged to the age group over six years (P = 0.02). The most common findings associated with Campylobacter diarrhea included abdominal pain (77.8% vs.1 8.8%, P < 0.001), fever (80.6% vs. 20.4, P < 0.001), leukocytosis (72.2% vs. 45.7%, P = 0.002), and WBCs in the stool (63.9% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.001). This study showed that abdominal pain, fever, leukocytosis, and WBCs in the stool were associated with gastroenteritis infection caused by Campylobacter.