Campylobacter jejuni septicemia--epidemiology, clinical features and outcome.

In 33 cases of Campylobacter jejuni septicemia, the disease was more common at the extremes of age: infants made up a third of the reported cases while 24% of patients were older than 50 years. Fever was noted in more than 80% of patients and chills in about a fourth. Enteritis was present in 70% of cases, and the gastrointestinal tract was the principal source of septicemia. Half of the patients did not have significant underlying disease but were at extremes of age, which may reflect relative host impairment. Mortality (25%) owing to C jejuni septicemia occurs mostly in compromised hosts.