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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jul 23.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Mar 13;37(1):48–55. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2006.12.006

Table 4.

Chronic Sequelae of Campylobacter and E. coli gastroenteritis

Source/Year of infection Cases of ReA/Cases of gastroenteritis Mean age (yrs) Chronic ReA Comments
Eastmond [51]
United Kingdom 1979		 1/130 (0.8%)
[C. jejuni]		 34

  • Minimal symptoms at 2 years

  • Patient HLA-B27 +

  • Hospital study type

  • N=347 (outbreak), 167 had enteritis, 88 culture +

  • study included 88 culture +, and 42 culture +, but GI asymptomatic pts.

  • acute symptoms for 2 weeks
Bremell, [65]
Sweden 1981		 5/86 (5.8%)
[C. jejuni]		 27 Group A 1/35

  1. patient HLA-B27+, relapsed 7 yrs post-infection after an episode of gastroenteritis

  • cohort study

  • N=106 (outbreak)

    • Group A: n=35, enteritis, culture+

    • Group B: n=31, no GI symptoms, culture+

    • Group C: n=20, no GI symptoms, culture

  • N=86 (81%) had 2-year FUP Q

  • N=15 MSK complaints from Group B had 5 year FU telephone interview
Group B 4/31
Symptoms started 3–8 months after outbreak:

  1. Arthralgia/enthesopathy (recurrent)

  2. Enthesopathy

  3. Sacroiliitis

  4. Recurrent synovitis (probable SLE)

Group C 0/20

  • No ReA

Locht, [67]
Denmark 1997–1999		 27/173 (16%)
ReA spectrum
[C. jejuni, C. coli]
10/177 (6%)
[ETEC]		 36 (median)
43 (median)		 5 pts symptomatic for > 1 year

  • Q on MSK symptoms in pts with culture + Campylobacter infection (ETEC was a control group)

  • ReA spectrum: reactive arthralgia to overt arthritis

  • Median duration of joint symptoms

    • Campylobacter group 60 days

    • E. coli group 165 days

  • Antibiotics did not prevent reactive symptoms

Q = questionnaire