Diarrheal illness and prosthetic joint infection caused by Campylobacter coli following consumption of undercooked chicken wings

Campylobacter species are common causes of diarrheal illness following consumption of contaminated food or unpasteurized dairy products, but subsequent dissemination and joint space infections are rare. We describe a patient who consumed undercooked chicken wings, with subsequent development of a febrile gastrointestinal illness marked by copious, watery stool output. This was followed by acute onset of pain and inability to bear weight on his right hip and leg where he had undergone prior arthroplasty. Synovial fluid cultures revealed Campylobacter coli, identified utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The patient made a full recovery following hip joint space debridement with prosthesis retention, coupled with sequential intravenous and oral ciprofloxacin therapy. This case highlights both the potential for prosthetic joint infection with Campylobacter coli following diarrheal illness, as well as challenges in reducing Campylobacter contamination within commercially distributed chicken wings.