Campylobacter fetus, a laboratory finding in the Public Hospital of San Carlos, Ñuble.

Abstract

The genus Campylobacter is a common cause of diarrheal disease in humans. Specifically, Campylobacter fetus has been considered an opportunistic pathogen, primarily associated with extraintestinal infections affecting immunocompromised patients.

This brief communication describes a case of bacteremia caused by C. fetus in a 78-year-old female patient admitted to the Hospital of San Carlos, Ñuble, due to respiratory symptoms with general condition impairment. Two days later, blood cultures tested positive for C. fetus.

We consider important to maintain active surveillance of this microorganism, due to its high nutritional requirements, and slow growth make its isolation and diagnosis challenging in the microbiology laboratory.