Is there an unrecognised role for Campylobacter infections in (chronic) inflammatory diseases?

Abstract

Campylobacter species are one of the major causes of global bacterial-related diarrheal disease worldwide. The disease is most frequently associated with the ingestion of contaminated meat, raw milk, pets, contaminated water, and the organism may be frequently cultured from the faeces of chicken and other domesticated farm animals. Of the 17 established Campylobacter species, the most important pathogens for humans are Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), Campylobacter coli (C. coli) and Campylobacter fetus (C. fetus), which are all associated with diarrheal disease. Further, C. jejuni and C. coli are also associated with the neuroparalytic diseases Guillain-Barré syndrome and Miller Fischer syndrome, respectively, whereas C. fetus is linked with psoriatic arthritis. The discovery of both “molecular mimicry” and translocation-related virulence in the pathogenesis of C. jejuni-induced disease, indicates that Campylobacter-related gastrointestinal infections may not only generate localized, acute intestinal infection in the human host, but may also be involved in the establishment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Indeed, pathogenicity studies on several Campylobacter species now suggest that molecular mimicry and translocation-related virulence is not only related to C. jejuni, but may play a role in human disease caused by other Campylobacter spp. In this review, the authors provide a review based on the current literature describing the potential links between Campylobacter spp. and (chronic) inflammatory diseases, and provide their opinions on the likely role of Campylobacter in such diseases.

Keywords: Campylobacter spp; Infection; Autoimmune diseases; Chronic diseases

Core tip:Campylobacter species are able to induce both gastrointestinal and systemic infections in humans and have been linked not only to acute disease, but also to a wide range of (chronic) inflammatory diseases. In this respect, the organism is particularly associated with inflammatory peripheral nerve disease Guillain-Barré syndrome and reactive arthritis. However, the true role of Campylobacter in other human inflammatory diseases remains to be determined. This review indicates that the actual role of Campylobacter in human inflammatory diseases may be largely underestimated and suggests that further research is necessary in order to accurately determine the importance of Campylobacter infection in these diseases.