Campylobacter jejuni in the stomach

Campylobacter jejuni is the commonest cause of acute bacterial enteritis in the UK. However, in this case a 74-year-old lady underwent gastroscopy for an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage and was noted to have a gastric ulcer. Gastric biopsy revealed spiral gram-negative bacteria and culture yielded a moderate growth of C. jejuni. Identification was confirmed by growth characteristics, biochemical tests and PCR amplification of the species-specific flagellin gene—fla A. To prevent misidentification, it is important that laboratories routinely culturing gastric biopsies for Helicobacter pylori should perform a rapid urease test and not rely solely on microscopic morphology.