Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis meningitis associated with a companion dog in a young adult: a case report

Abstract

Background Campylobacter spp., common commensals in the gastrointestinal tract of animals, especially poultry, can cause acute gastrointestinal illness in humans through animal-to-human transmission. Although Campylobacter fetus, especially subspecies fetus, rarely leads to systemic infections such as bacteremia in immunocompromised patients, it is unclear whether Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis (Cfv) causes infectious diseases in humans. Case presentation A 28-year-old man with a history of chronic alcoholism visited the emergency department with weakness of the left extremities. The patient was clinically diagnosed with community-acquired bacterial meningitis. The organism from the blood culture was subsequently identified as Campylobacter fetus. On phylogenetic analysis, the 16S rRNA sequence showed 99.93% similarity with other Cfv 16S rRNA sequences. The patient had no exposure to identifiable sources except for close contact with a companion dog, which could have been a possible source of transmission. Conclusions This case suggests that Cfv could lead to human systemic infections such as meningitis and that companion animals, in addition to well-known animal hosts, could be sources of transmission.

Discovery of Bacterial Key Genes from 16S rRNA-Seq Profiles That Are Associated with the Complications of SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Provide Therapeutic Indications

“…Bacteroidetes is also associated with gastric carcinogenesis [ 67 , 68 ] as well as colorectal cancer [ 69 ], whereas Bacteroides Acidifaciens, another differentially abundant bacterium, is implicated in liver damage [ 33 ]. Campylobacter enrichment in the gut microbiome of the patients is associated with diarrhea [ 28 ], gastrointestinal issues [ 70 ], and inflammatory bowel disease [ 71 ], while Campylobacter fetus pathogens can cause liver disease and diabetes mellitus [ 32 ]. Another upregulated genera identified in this study is Clostridium difficile , which is associated with diarrheal disease, another symptom of COVID-19 [ 72 ].…”

“…Secondary infections occur when already infected patients are re-infected, depending on the outcomes of the first infection [ 14 , 17 , 18 ]. COVID-19 patients often suffer from different symptoms, including fever [ 19 ], cough [ 20 ], sore throat [ 21 ], congestion or runny nose [ 22 ], difficulty breathing [ 23 ], loss of smell or taste [ 24 ], fatigue [ 21 ], muscle pain [ 25 ], headache [ 26 ], nausea or vomiting [ 27 ], diarrhea [ 28 ], meningitis [ 29 ], pneumonia [ 29 ] that are associated with different microbial pathogens [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Therefore, microbial pathogens may be considered the critical risk factors for different complications and the increasing mortality rates of COVID-19 patients [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 34 ].…”

Genome analysis of clinical isolate of Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus MMM01 from India reveals genetic determinants of pathogenesis and adaptation

“…testudium (CFT) [3][4][5]. The subspecies within C. fetus show a strong affinity towards host preferences compared to other bacterial pathogens [6,7]. With a relatively small genome size of approximately 1.8 Mbp and a high clonal structure, C. fetus subspecies are a well-suited model organism to study pathogen-host adaptation due to their differences in host preference and tissue tropism [2].…”

Campylobacter fetus Invasive Infections and Risks for Death, France, 2000–2021

“…Disease severity and risk for death from C. fetus systemic infection are of concern for clinicians; fatality rate is ≈15% (4,5). C. fetus is also known to have a predilection for vascular endothelium, causing mycotic aneurysms, thrombophlebitis, endocarditis (including infections of prosthetic heart valves), and multivisceral complications (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). A bactericidal antimicrobial drug treatment based on use of a β-lactam (such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or a carbapenem) should be favored (4).…”