Furthermore, GBS that follows Campylobacter infection is more severe and more likely to be irreversible than GBS due to other causes. Campylobacter infection has also been associated with fatal septic shock in a splenectomized patient, again reflecting the severity of infection in immunocompromised patients. The chief presenting sign is diarrhea. The diarrhea is thought to be due to the action of a cholera-like enterotoxin and a cytotoxin. Other signs such as vomiting, anorexia and fever are uncommon.
Severity varies from case to case and clinical signs are exacerbated by stress.
Renewed shedding after completion of the course of antibiotics is possible, hence the importance of follow-up fecal cultures. In addition to C. jejuni , human beings can be infected with a variety of other species of Campylobacter , and virtually all are associated with animal reservoirs. Dogs are the major reservoir in the world, but there is some debate as to whether the same species is involved in causing disease in both dogs and humans.