campylobacter

noun

cam·​pylo·​bac·​ter ˌkam-pi-lō-ˈbak-tər 

kam-ˌpi-lə-

: any of a genus (Campylobacter) of spirally curved motile gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria of which some are pathogenic in domestic animals and humans

Examples of campylobacter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These diseases include bacterial infections like campylobacter and salmonella and parasitic infections like cryptosporidium, giardia and tapeworm. Symptoms can include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024

Raw beef often contains harmful bacteria such as salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and E. coli - each of which can disrupt the body's digestive tract and cause foodborne illness. —Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024

Common Types of Food Poisoning The norovirus is the most common type of food poisoning in the U.S. Salmonella, staphylococcus aureus (A.K.A. staph), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and campylobacter are also fairly common. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024

Stomach flu can result from unclean food and water parasites and bacteria, such as E. coli, campylobacter, shigella, and Salmonella. —Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2023

In the case of campylobacter, symptoms don't typically start to present themselves until two to five days after exposure, while salmonella can start wreaking havoc in as little as six hours, per the CDC. —Elizabeth Bacharach, Women's Health, 29 Aug. 2023

The presence of campylobacter bacteria was found during an ordinary sample collection and analysis at a production facility. —Yoni Heisler, BGR, 29 Aug. 2021

Foodborne illnesses analyzed included microbial contamination as well as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, salmonella, and campylobacter. —Rebecca Jaspan, Mph, Rd, Cdn, Cdces, Health, 6 Apr. 2023

After multiple people reported feeling sick after attending an August 18 party celebrating Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore, health officials began investigating a potential outbreak of campylobacter, a bacterial infection known to cause unpleasant symptoms. —Meredith Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek kampylos bent + New Latin bacterium; akin to Greek kampē bend — more at gambit

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

campylobacter

noun

cam·​py·​lo·​bac·​ter ˈkam-pə-lō-ˌbak-tər 

1

capitalized : a genus of slender spirally curved rod bacteria of the family Spirillaceae that are gram-negative, microaerophilic, and motile with a characteristic motion resembling a corkscrew, that do not form spores, and that include forms formerly included in the genus Spirillum or Vibrio of which some are pathogenic for domestic animals or humans see helicobacter

2

: any bacterium of the genus Campylobacter