Campylobacter spp. – immunological screening in pets with infectious enteritis

Infections caused by germs of the genus Campylobacter are important in human and veterinary medicine pathology, especially since pets (dogs and cats) are part of many families. The carrying and sheding of these microorganisms by animals is a source of infection for humans, but it is also an important etiological agent of acute gastroenteritis in animals. Immunological screening performed on 46 diarrhoeal feces collected from 39 dogs and 7 cats aimed to identify bacterial antigens by using a lateral flow immunochromatographic test. Even though the bacterioscopic examination indicated the presence of spiral microorganisms, immunological confirmation was performed in 12 cases (11 dogs and one cat), explained by the presence of other microbial species with digestive tropism that have similar morphology. Considering the fact that it is a pretentious bacterium that requires particular cultivation conditions, the use of these tests allows the confirmation of the etiology of infectious enteritis produced by Campylobacter spp., in the context of corroboration the anamnesis and the results of the clinical examination.