Serotype distribution of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from hospitalized patients with diarrhea in central Australia.

Campylobacter jejuni and/or Campylobacter coli was cultured from 218 of 1,078 patients of all age groups admitted to Alice Springs Hospital, Alice Springs, central Australia, between July 1988 and June 1989 for treatment of diarrhea. One hundred sixty-six Campylobacter colonies from 127 patients were subjected to O serotyping by using the Penner typing scheme. All except 29 colonies could be serotyped. A total of 46 serotypes were identified, and the predominant serotypes were O:8, 17, O:22, O:1,44, and O:19. A large proportion of colonies reacted with more than one antiserum, and nine serotypes had antigenic compositions not observed previously. Several patients had multiple infections with more than one serotype, and some patients were shown for the first time to be infected with up to three different serotypes. Repeated reinfections with different serotypes were seen in some patients. In some patients, provided it was not due to reinfection with the same serotype, long-term excretion of the same serotype was seen, and for the first time, one patient showed evidence of excretion of the same serotype for up to 73 days.