Campylobacterjejuni cholecystitis: a rare but significant clinical entity
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Peter G Vaughan-Shaw; Jonathan Rees; Phillip Burgess; Diana White
- Source
- BMJ case reports. 2010
- Subject
- Abdominal pain
medicine.medical_specialty
biology
medicine.drug_class
business.industry
medicine.medical_treatment
Gallbladder
Campylobacter
Antibiotics
General Medicine
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease
medicine.disease_cause
Campylobacter jejuni
Bile sample
Article
Surgery
medicine.anatomical_structure
Laparotomy
medicine
Cholecystitis
medicine.symptom
business
- Language
- ISSN
- 1757-790X
Cholecystitis caused by Campylobacter is rare with only 14 cases found in the literature. This case describes a 71-year-old man who presented with right hypochondrial abdominal pain due to a gangrenous gallbladder identified at laparotomy. Culture of a bile sample identified a slow-growing gram-negative bacterium identified as Campylobacter jejuni. After a poor clinical response, this identification allowed targeted antibiotic treatment resulting in a slow but successful recovery and discharge 17 days postoperatively. This case demonstrates the importance of considering rare organisms in severe acute cholecystitis and ensuring appropriate cultures are performed, particularly in those who fail to respond to initial antimicrobial treatment.