Camp-tastic

Wee Beasties

Ready to think twice about the filtration used to treat your water for consumption? Ready or not, our hosts are exploring the gut microbe, Campylobacter jejuni. This gram-negative bacterium is about 0.2um – 0.5um in size. Small, but mighty enough to warrant the use of a 0.05um filter if you want to catch this bug and potentially avoid some stomach souring symptoms.

More about Campylobacter jejuni:

What is Campylobacter infection?

Safewater.org | Campylobacter Fact Sheet

Stay tuned for more episodes, posting on the first Thursday of each month. Subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts and find more info at weebeastiespodcast.com  

The Wee Beasties podcast is a production of Nephros, Inc., a company committed to improving the human relationship with water through leading, accessible technology.

***

Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter, biosurveillance, microorganisms, biotechnology, PremisePlumbing, AntonVanLeeuwenhoek, WeeBeastiesPodcast, season1, origins, CDC, pathogens, OpportunisticWaterbornePathogen

***

SHOW TRANSCRIPT:

Christian: I am back with Dr. Kimothy Smith. Kimothy, welcome back!

Kimothy: Thanks, Christian.

Christian: All right…how are we doing today Kimothy?

Kimothy: Doing well, Christian. Just recovering.

Christian: Recovering from what?

Kimothy: All of the candy corn I had to pick up in my front yard this weekend. The local monsters and ghouls decided it was imperative that my lawn be seeded with candy corn so they could apparently revive a Children of the Corn montage for Halloween. Of course, nothing was going to grow except the number of birds and bugs on my lawn, so I found myself bent over cleaning that crap up all day on Sunday. Sigh.

Christian: Well, hey, out of the Steven King flicks to choose from that was probably the best. I mean, at least they didn’t choose to revive the film It, your front yard would have been littered with psychopathic clowns with red hair and pointy teeth. It can always be worse, Kimothy. It can always be worse. Well, enough with the candy corn and clowns…what is our pathogen for today?

Kimothy: Campylobacter jejuni

Christian: Campylobacter is always associated with camping and environmental infections for me. I just remember the camp in Campy and immediately remember that these infections are uncommon for treated water networks, but more likely found in untreated settings like stagnant environmental samples.

Kimothy: Yeah, Christian, this bacterium doesn’t tend to survive in treated water systems very well; and, if it does, it is in a viable but non-culturable state. This is a gut microbe and it’s primarily transmitted through birds, cattle, and other livestock feces – but, poultry mainly, such as chickens and turkeys. Feces from these animals shed campylobacter in into streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The most common route of infection is through ingestion (fecal-oral), whether that is untreated water or contaminated food. The result is campylobacteriosis – an acute illness that causes nausea, abdominal pain, fever, cramping, and diarrhea. The abdominal pain can be so debilitating that it is often confused with appendicitis.

Christian: Alright, so, in treated water there is less of a concern, but it’s still possible to become infected in untreated water sources. What about its cellular structure and behavior; is this something I can easily filter out of the water supply I’m drinking from?

Kimothy: Well, this is another gram-negative, spiral, and rod-shaped bacterium that is about 0.2um – 0.5um in size, so you’ll want a 0.05-micron filter if you want to catch this bug before using the water for consumption. Its motile by a single flagellum, and is not a good biofilm producer, so it’s constantly on the move for nutrient sources. It’s most happy in intestinal tracts of animals, like I mentioned early, so livelihood is challenging for it in bulk water systems. That said, it doesn’t take much ingestion to make you symptomatic and acutely sick. I believe Safewater.org reports that less than 500 cells consumed will result in symptoms. To that end, I’d like to deviate just for a moment and emphasize Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhea in the U.S., affecting 1.5 million residents a year.1 And, a not well-known mode of transmission for shedding Campylobacter is our pets, in particular, our dogs.

Christian: Ahhh, so all those people out there that are convinced your dog licking your face is OK, and just a warm sign of affection and love – it's probably true, but it comes with the bonus of acute diarrhea and cramps! Nice. Well, pooches aside, which patient populations are most at risk for acquiring Campylobacter?

Kimothy: So, nothing surprising here, Christian. Immunosuppressed or compromised patients are at greatest risk (think cancer and AIDS patients), but also pediatrics -- specifically those under the age of five are highly susceptible because of their lower developed immunity and inability to cope with the hypovolemia and accompanying diarrhea. There are a few rare circumstances possible when acquiring this bacterium that are worth noting also (although these are highly improbable): About one in every 1,000 cases of infection results in Gullian-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS is an autoimmune disorder that causes weakness in the extremities and sometimes paralysis. Most people recover, but permanent nerve damage is possible in rare cases. Also, strangely, according to the CDC, about 1-5% of those infected with Campylobacter will develop arthritis – non-age dependent.

Christian: Bizarre…I wouldn’t have suspected that outcome. Tell me about the treatment. I assume since this is another bacterial pathogen that the best treatment is an antibiotic regimen.

Kimothy: Actually, no. This is rarely fatal, and symptoms will usually resolve on their own in most patient populations within about three weeks. Except for those patients most at risk, that I mentioned earlier, you really are just treating the diarrhea here – so taking extra effort to drink lots of fluids and combat the dehydration and cramps is really most of what needs to be done.

Christian: Alright, well it’s good to hear that this isn’t a pathogen with a high mortality rate. It does seem quite easy to acquire in untreated water or contaminated food, but if you do acquire it, symptoms resolve quickly. And the worst-case scenario you must get an antibiotic treatment if you’re part of a high-risk patient population. And you said earlier that these little guys don’t survive well in bulk water systems and that treated water usually kills them or puts them into a VBNC state. So, there seem to be two easy solutions – use a point-of-use 0.05-micron filter or treat your water – also don’t kiss your dog – and you’re well on your way to preventing this bacterial infection!

Kimothy: Usually it does just come down to the basics. This one is an “easier” one to address, but it still is ubiquitous and it’s important to recognize small inputs and changes that really aren’t that cumbersome can reduce the infection rate of this opportunistic pathogen.

Christian: Alright, Kimothy, another one down, Campylobacter jejuni. I made it through all of that without being campy – well, maybe a little with the dog bit.

Kimothy: Yes, a man of true restraint!

Christian: Kimothy, as always, thanks so much for the chat today.

Kimothy: You bet, Christian.

1 https://www.cdc.gov/campylobacter/faq.html