Abstract:
The foodborne pathogen Campylobacter is a major cause of human gastroenteritis, accounting
for an estimated annual 96 million cases worldwide. Assessment of the true burden of Campylobacter
in the African context is handicapped by the under-reporting of diarrhoeal incidents and ine ective
monitoring and surveillance programmes of foodborne illnesses, as well as the minimal attention
given to Campylobacter as a causative agent of diarrhoea. The present review of the literature highlights
the variability in the reported occurrence of Campylobacter in humans and animal food sources across
di erent countries and regions in Africa. Campylobacter infection is particularly prevalent in the
paediatric population and has been isolated from farm animals, particularly poultry, and foods of
animal origin. The reported prevalence of Campylobacter in children under the age of five years
ranges from 2% in Sudan to 21% in South Africa. In poultry, the prevalence ranges from 14.4% in
Ghana to 96% in Algeria. This review also highlights the alarming trend of increased Campylobacter
resistance to clinically important antimicrobials, such as ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, in humans
and food animals in Africa. This review adds to our understanding of the global epidemiology of
Campylobacter at the human–food animal interface, with an emphasis from the African perspective.
Interinstitutional and intersectoral collaborations, as well as the adoption of the One Health approach,
would be useful in bridging the gaps in the epidemiological knowledge of Campylobacter in Africa.
