[Infantile Campylobacter enteritis (author's transl)].

9 children with campylobacter enteritis aging from 3 days to 4 years were seen over a 8-month period. In 2 cases prompt recovery was achieved by erythromycin therapy. In the remaining 7 cases, the course was most often very mild, and symptomatic therapy was sufficient. Epidemiologically, the incidence of campylobacter enteritis is comparable to that of salmonella enteritis. Obviously, birds and poultry, but also dogs, cats, sheep and other domestic and farm animals are important sources of infection. Spread among human beings has also been made probable. The most frequent clinical features are fever, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Complications are most often associated with subspecies intestinalis whereas infections with subspecies jejuni almost exclusively cause enteritis. C. fetus is usually sensitive to erythromycin, tetracycline and aminoglycosides. The advantage of antibiotic therapy, however, has not yet been established.