How Campylobacter Infection Is Diagnosed

Most people with a Campylobacter infection get better without antibiotics. The infection itself is diagnosed by a laboratory test, and the result gives a health care provider information to use in deciding how to treat it.

Why testing matters

A Campylobacter infection is sometimes serious. The risk of severe illness is greatest for:

• people 65 and older;
• pregnant people; and
• people with weakened immune systems.

For them in particular, knowing what is causing the illness can shape the decisions a provider makes.

The two kinds of test

A laboratory can look for Campylobacter in one of two ways.

A rapid diagnostic test looks for the bacteria’s genetic material, and lets doctors work out quickly what is making a patient ill. A culture test grows the bacteria themselves, and gives more detailed information about the ones behind the infection.

The two are not rivals. Information from either kind of test can help guide treatment, and each answers a different question: the rapid test says quickly whether this is Campylobacter; the culture says more about which bacteria a patient is dealing with.

Key points

• Campylobacter infection is diagnosed by a laboratory test.
• Most people recover without antibiotics.
• People 65 and older, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to become seriously ill.
• Both rapid and culture tests provide information a provider can use to make treatment decisions.

Sources

Based on "Diagnosis of Campylobacter Infection" (Clinical Testing and Diagnosis), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.