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

Six children are among 21 people who have E. coli or campylobacter infections after consuming raw milk from a farm in Florida, public health officials said. —Kate Payne, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

Another study from the same team found that people living near the most dense clusters of poultry farms in that area were more likely to suffer infectious diarrhea and campylobacter infection, a disease associated with bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps, than those living further away. —Gavin Off, Charlotte Observer, 26 Jan. 2025

One of the most serious such disturbances is caused by the campylobacter bacterium, which can cause severe diarrhea in children and even lead to stunted growth. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that campylobacter is a type of bacteria that causes diarrheal illness and is usually transmitted through undercooked meat, contaminated food or water, or contact with animals. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

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

Rhymes for campylobacter

• enterobacter

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