Severe diarrhea associated with Arcobacter butzleri

Two patients with chronic disease (diabetes mellitus type I, hyperuricemia and alcohol abuse, respectively) were hospitalized with persistent diarrhea and severe abdominal cramps. Using routine methods, the only pathogen isolated in stool specimens was Arcobacter butzleri. In both cases acute symptoms subsided quickly after antibiotic therapy. After termination of antibiotic treatment, Arcobacter butzleri could no longer be detected in stool specimens. Although very little is known about the clinical significance of Arcobacter butzleri infections in humans, it is highly likely that in both cases Arcobacter butzleri played a major causative role in acute disease.