Prevalence of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni in healthy populations in southern India.

Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni was isolated from the feces of 14.8% of a random sample of the healthy population of rural southern India. The rate of isolation was highest in preschool children. This finding emphasizes the need to identify markers of pathogenicity in strains of C. fetus subsp. jejuni, which so far are identified only by cultural characteristics. The pathogenic role of this organism in patients with diarrhoea in tropical developing countries can be understood when such markers of pathogenicity are found.