Sketchy Micro: Campylobacter

Question 1

Campylobacter grows best at _____________.

Answer 1

42 degrees celsius (“CAMPylobacter loves CAMPfires.”)

Question 2

What is the most common mode of transmission for Campylobacter?

Answer 2

Fecal-oral (from the GI tract of poultry when they are slaughtered)

(Think of the rotisserie chicken over the fire.)

Question 3

What kind of bacteria is Campylobacter?

Answer 3

Curved Gram-negative rod

Think of the camper’s curved mustache.

Question 4

All curved, Gram-negative rods are ______________ positive.

Answer 4

oxidase

Think of the ring he has, just like the helicopter pilot in the H. pylori sketch.

Question 5

One common clinical sign of C. jejuni infection is ______________.

Answer 5

bloody diarrhea (like the red stools he’s sitting on)

Question 6

Campylobacter causes what secondary symptom?

Answer 6

Reactive arthritis

(This is represented by the guy REACTIVEly laughing and slapping his knee at the bear who is invading his cooler –invading because Campylobacter is invasive.)

Question 7

Campylobacter classically causes ______________.

Answer 7

Guillain-Barré syndrome (like the sausage links wrapped around the cub’s ankle, representing ascending paralysis)