Intra-abdominal infection with Campylobacter curvus: case report and review of the literature

BackgroundCampylobacter curvusis a Gram-negative bacteria associated with periodontal disease in humans. Cases of extra-oral manifestations of infection are rare with only six reported cases of extra-oral infection including this report that have been identified in the current literature. Molecular methods are generally used to identifyC. curvuswhile optimal antibiotic choice and duration to treat extra-oral infections for this pathogen is unknown. Case presentation A 63-year-old male with a background history of alcoholic pancreatitis presented with fever and malaise who was found to have radiological intra-abdominal collections. Drainage of these collections identifiedC. curvusvia matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry with high probability and identification further confirmed by whole-genome sequencing. Antibiotic susceptibility testing to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin ofC. curvuswas performed using E-test diffusion methods along with investigation for the presence of resistance genes. The patient was treated with intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam followed by ciprofloxacin for 4 weeks total with good clinical recovery. Conclusions Extra-oral manifestations with the pathogenC. curvusare rare with few cases described in the literature. There is minimal data on susceptibility patterns, optimal antibiotic treatment and duration. Treatment of extraintestinalC. curvusinfections in humans should encompass both adequate source control and antibiotic therapy.