Campylobacter diarrhoea: what should you know?

Campylobacter is a bacterium that can enter the gut through contaminated food, water, or contact with infected animals. Diarrhoea may be watery or contain blood, and abdominal cramping can be prominent. Symptoms can overlap with [Food Poisoning](/conditions/food-poisoning/), [Gastroenteritis](/conditions/gastroenteritis/), or other causes such as [Food Intolerance](/conditions/food-intolerance/), so testing may be considered when illness is severe, prolonged, or unusual.

Most people improve with supportive care. Antibiotics are not needed for everyone; a clinician considers severity, vulnerability, and the likelihood of ongoing bacterial infection.

Take frequent small sips of water or an oral rehydration drink. Eat light foods when able, and avoid preparing food for others while you have diarrhoea. Wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before handling food; clean bathroom surfaces regularly. Avoid anti-diarrhoeal medicine if you have blood in the stool or fever unless a clinician advises it.

A clinician may request a stool sample and can advise whether treatment is needed. Persistent symptoms may require consideration of other conditions, including [Crohn's Disease](/conditions/crohns-disease/) or [Giardiasis](/conditions/giardiasis/).

Seek urgent medical help for severe dehydration, fainting, confusion, inability to keep fluids down, blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, or a high or worsening fever. Arrange prompt assessment if you are pregnant, older, immunocompromised, or caring for a young child with frequent diarrhoea.

Ask whether you need a stool test, how to replace fluids, when you can return to work or school, and whether any medicines should be avoided.