Campylobacter jejuni in Wild Birds: Current Status and Challenges

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is a prevalent zoonotic pathogen that poses a significant threat to global public health, causing gastroenteritis with symptoms ranging from mild diarrhea to severe complications, and is widely distributed among various animal hosts, including poultry, livestock, and wild birds. Among these, wild birds, characterized by their exceptional species diversity, high mobility, and long-distance migratory behavior, are capable of disseminating infectious agents across geographic regions and ecological settings. However, wild birds are increasingly recognized as potential carriers, research on C. jejuni in these hosts remains nascent and fragmented, and a unified understanding has yet to emerge. Therefore, this review synthesizes current knowledge on the prevalence patterns, key determinants, and genetic and transmission characteristics of wild bird origin C. jejuni, aiming to provide a foundation for subsequent in-depth evaluation of the public health significance of C. jejuni derived from wild birds.