study of campylobacter diarrhea in zahedan region, iran

during a period of 5 months of 276 faecal specimens of inpatients, aged 0 to 5 years old, with diarrhea in zahedan, were screened for evidence of enteric campylobacteria for isolation, the stool was plated on a selective medium and incubated at 42oc in a microaerophilic atmosphere for 48-72 hours. on gram stain, the organisms were small, curved, comma shaped and gram negative rods. the following tests, which have been done, were among the most important differential characteristics for campylobacter species: catalase, oxidase, hippurate hydrolysis, growth in the presence of 1% glycin, 3.5% nacl and 42oc, susceptible to nalidixic acid and cephalotin. the results were shown that out of 276 specimens, 15(5.4%) were positive for campylobacter, 10 organisms were c. jejuni, whereas 5 were identified to be c. coli. all strains were isolated from children below 2 years of age. these were sensitive to nalidixic acid, erythromycin, streptomycin and nitrofuranotoin, while the isolates were resistant to cephalotin, penicillin g, co-trimoxazol and amoxicillin.