Trends, clinical characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and outcomes of Campylobacter bacteraemia: a multicentre retrospective study

Purpose: We aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of Campylobacter bacteraemia and identify the trends, risk factors for mortality, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns from clinical samples.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients confirmed to have Campylobacter bacteraemia from seven hospitals between January 2010 and June 2021. Data on demographics and underlying history, clinical manifestation, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were collected and analyzed. Annual cases of Campylobacter enteritis were extracted from a public database.

Results: A total of 108 patients were included, and five species were isolated. Campylobacter jejuni accounted for 54 (50.0%) cases and 17 (16%) patients had no symptoms other than fever. In-hospital mortality occurred in 14 (13.0%) patients. C. jejuni bacteraemia was associated with lower mortality compared to non-C. jejuni bacteraemia. Underlying cancer and septic shock were the significant factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Quinolone resistance was high (59%), whereas only 4% of isolates exhibited macrolide resistance. There has been a significant increase in the number of Campylobacter enteritis cases, which was strongly correlated with the number of Campylobacter bacteraemia cases (Pearson's coefficient: 0.953; p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The notably increasing incidence of Campylobacter bacteraemia and antibiotic resistance patterns can challenge the treatment, necessitating collective efforts of national surveillance and networks by many departments.