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

Of the 165 who fell ill, 162 were in California and four people were also infected with campylobacter and/or E. coli bacteria. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024

Raw milk is far more likely than pasteurized milk to cause illnesses and hospitalizations linked to dangerous bacteria such as campylobacter, listeria, salmonella and E. coli, research shows. —Jonel Aleccia, Fortune, 14 May 2024

Raw milk can carry bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli, listeria, and campylobacter, and was associated with 1,909 illnesses between 1993 and 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 3 May 2024

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

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