A steady increase in the incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) with a
seasonal preponderance, almost exclusively related to Campylobacter
jejuni, and a rise in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter
enteritis have been reported from Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. We
therefore investigated possible risk factors associated with diarrhea due
to epidemic C. jejuni. Typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
identified four epidemic clones which accounted for almost 60% of the
infections. One hundred six cases were included in a case-control study.
Infections with epidemic clones were more frequently observed in specific
districts in Willemstad, the capital of Curacao. One of these clones
caused infections during the rainy season only and was associated with the
presence of a deep well around the house. Two out of three GBS-related C.
jejuni isolates belonged to an epidemic clone. The observations presented
point toward water as a possible source of Campylobacter infections
