A spiral gut pathogen and one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness, often traced to poultry. Explore its illustrative 3D model, human context, and sources.
C. jejuni is a common cause of diarrheal illness, called campylobacteriosis. CDC estimates that nearly 1.9 million people in the United States get ill from Campylobacter every year and notes that a single drop of juice from raw chicken can contain enough bacteria to cause infection. PHAC describes spiral, S-shaped cells that move with a corkscrew-like motion using a polar flagellum, grow best at 42 degrees Celsius and need a microaerobic atmosphere. A large number of infections are asymptomatic or mild, and most people who do become ill recover within a week.
Most campylobacteriosis is a self-limited diarrheal illness with full recovery within about a week. CDC lists irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which a person’s own immune system harms their nerves, among complications. PHAC notes that many infections are asymptomatic and mild, so a positive stool test does not by itself describe how ill someone is.
Original schematic 3D phenotype. PHAC describes motile, spiral-shaped rods with a distinctive S shape, 0.2-0.9 micrometres wide and 0.5-5 micrometres long, moving with a corkscrew-like motion using one unsheathed polar flagellum at one or both ends of the cell, non-spore-forming and microaerobic. A single unsheathed polar flagellum is therefore supported, distinct from the sheathed polar tuft of H. pylori; no capsule or endospore is assigned. Colours, dimensions, layer thicknesses and displayed arrangements are diagram choices, not a measured individual cell. Independent scientific review remains pending.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.