Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial illness that generally causes a self-limited clinical illness typically characterized by diarrhea (frequently with bloody stools), abdominal cramps, malaise, fever, nausea, and vomiting; asymptomatic infection also occurs frequently. Severe symptoms and invasive infections can also occur, and persons with Campylobacter infections are at increased risk for three post-infectious complications: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), reactive arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Campylobacter infection is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, usually through ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with infected animals. Person-to-person transmission is uncommon.
In the absence of an alternative etiology, a person with a clinically compatible illness. Common presentations of illness include diarrhea (bloody or non-bloody), abdominal cramps, or vomiting. Other common symptoms include fever and nausea and extra-intestinal infections such as bacteremia, meningitis, or other localized infections may occur but will not trigger a report to public health without laboratory evidence.
Probable: Detection of any Campylobacter spp using a culture-independent diagnostic test (CIDT) in a clinical specimen from any source.
Confirmed: Isolation of any Campylobacter spp by culture in a clinical specimen from any source.
Probable: A person who shares an exposure with a confirmed or probable case of campylobacteriosis, a person who is exposed to a confirmed case of campylobacteriosis, or a person who is exposed to a probable case with presumptive laboratory evidence of campylobacteriosis.
A repeat positive culture or CIDT test result on a specimen collected more than 90 days since previous specimen collection date should be enumerated as a new case for surveillance. When two or more Campylobacter species are identified or detected from one or more specimens from the same individual, each identified infection with a unique species should be enumerated as a separate case.
Probable: A case that meets the presumptive laboratory evidence or a case that meets the clinical criteria and epidemiologic linkage criteria.
Confirmed: A case that meets the confirmed laboratory evidence.
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