Persistent, recurring diarrhea in a colony of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) caused by multiple strains of Campylobacter spp.

Abstract A colony of 10 orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus ) experienced persistent, recurring diarrhea caused by multiple infections with Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli . Infections appeared to have occurred through several mechanisms, including fecal-oral transmission between orangutans, and possibly transmission by houseflies contaminated with the organisms from nearby chicken feces. Among the 14 fecal and environmental C. jejuni isolates, 4 different antibiotic susceptibility profiles were detected; there were also 4 different profiles among the 8 isolates of C. coli . In 5 orangutans, there were back-to-back infections by different strains of C. jejuni , suggesting that a single C. jejuni infection may not confer protective immunity against heterologous strains circulating in the same vicinity. Transmission was effectively interrupted by environmental modifications and a 7-day course of oral erythromycin.