[Who discovered Campylobacter jejuni/coli? A review of hitherto disregarded literature].

Non culturable spiral form bacteria were noted in 1886 by Theodor Escherich. He found them in stool specimens and large intestinal mucous associated with diarrhoea in neonates as well as in kittens. In the following years till the end of the century a number of mainly german language publications appeared, describing the occurrence of such "spirilla" in cases of "cholera-like" and "dysenteric" disease. These organisms were found mainly in the colon or associated with mucous in diarrheal stool specimens. Growth on solid medium was unsuccessful, although living bacteria could be kept in liquid culture medium for a few days. The following points suggest that the microorganisms described were probably Campylobacter ssp: typical morphology association with enteritis in neonates, infants and kittens failure to grow on solid medium despite microscopic detection and the fact that to date no other bacteria with comparable morphology have been associated with human enteric infections.