Campylobacter enterocolitis diagnosed by stool Gram stain

A 5-year-old boy with no past medical history presented to the emergency department with a 4-day history of low-grade fever, abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea with intermittent mild hematochezia. Seven days before presentation, he had attended a family barbecue and had consumed chicken that was slightly raw. His family members showed no symptoms despite consuming the same chicken. On physical examination, he was afebrile, and mild diffuse abdominal pain was noted on deep palpation, whereas the remainder of his physical examination was unremarkable. Gramnegative spiral rods were noted on Gram stain of his stool (Fig. 1), suggesting Campylobacter species. The culture from his stool grew