Goegebuer T, Verhaeghe J P, Verlinde A, De Laere E, Surmont I
Laboratorium KLinische Biologie, Heilig Hartziekenhuis Roeselare-Menen vzw, Wilgenstraat 2, 8800 Roeselare, België.
Acta Clin Belg. 2007 Mar-Apr;62(2):130-3. doi: 10.1179/acb.2007.023.
We report what we consider to be the first case of an abscess of the thyroid gland due to Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus (C. fetus) in a patient suffering from hyperthyroidism. C. fetus is known as a rare and opportunistic pathogen in humans, causing a broad variety of systemic infections. Acquisition by humans is thought to occur through contact with animals or animal products and to start as a gastro-intestinal colonization. The detection of C. fetus in stool is challenging, since culture efforts are generally directed in order to fulfil growth requirements of C.jejuni, a much more common enteric pathogen. Detection of C. fetus in non-stool samples is even more challenging since routine culture doesn't imply prolonged incubation (>72h), selective media and microaerophilic conditions. It is therefore not unlikely that human infections caused by C. fetus occur more often than generally assumed.
