Campylobacter proctitis in a homosexual man

Campylobacter fetus subspecies jejuni is now recognized as a common bacterial pathogen causing acute gastroenteritis in humans. Transmission is believed to be primarily through ingestion of contaminated water or food or acquired by close contact with infected animals (dogs, fowl, and cattle). Sexual transmission has been documented in animals and suspected in early reported cases of human abortion due to this pathogen but has received little attention in recent epidemiologic reports. In a case of biopsy-proven proctitis in a homosexual man, rectal cultures grew C. fetus ssp. jejuni. This case is one in five consecutive homosexual men with proctitis from whom we obtained stools for isolation of C. fetus.