Incidence of Campylobacter enteritis in the midwestern United States.

The incidence of Campylobacter enteritis was assessed in an 800-bed medical center in the midwestern United States. Stool specimens from 203 patients were cultured on a modified Skirrow's selective media and incubated for 48 hours at 42 C in a microaerophilic atmosphere. Campylobacter fetus ssp. jejuni was isolated from 10 patients for an incidence rate of 4.9 percent. All patients were symptomatic. The results suggest that clinical laboratories must establish methods to culture and identify this organism on a routine basis.