Persistence of Campylobacter fetus bacteremia associated with absence of opsonizing antibodies.

Campylobacter fetus causes systemic infections in immunocompromised hosts. We describe a case in which C. fetus bacteremia apparently relapsed after 7 years in a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia and characterize the serum resistance of the patient's C. fetus strain and the inability of the patient's serum, with and without commercial intravenous immunoglobulin, to opsonize this and another C. fetus strain effectively. The probable presence of a sequestered site of infection in bone, the intrinsic serum resistance of the C. fetus strain, and the absence of specific antibody may account for the persistent infection in this patient. These studies suggest that intravenous immunoglobulin treatment is not useful in eradicating C. fetus bacteremia.