Campylobacter and Arcobacter

Two genera, Campylobacter and Arcobacter, are included in the family Campylobacteraceae. The genus Campylobacter includes 40 species and the genus Arcobacter comprises 29 species. Campylobacter coli produces the same clinical picture as Campylobacter jejuni and probably accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the cases of diarrhea due to campylobacters. Two of the 29 species of Arcobacter, Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus, have been isolated from humans with diarrhea and bacteremia. There are several commercially available antigen tests for the detection of Campylobacter in stool samples. Members of the genus Arcobacter are referred to as aerotolerant campylobacters because they can grow in the presence of atmospheric concentrations of oxygen.