Campylobacter spp. are a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Australia, primarily acquired from contaminated meat. We investigated the relationship between genomic virulence characteristics and the severity of campylobacteriosis, hospitalisation, and other host factors. We recruited 571 campylobacteriosis cases from three Australian states and territories (2018–2019). We collected demographic, health status, risk factors, and self-reported disease data. We whole genome sequenced 422 C . jejuni and 84 C . coli case isolates along with 616 retail meat isolates. We classified case illness severity using a modified Vesikari scoring system, performed phylogenomic analysis, and explored risk factors for hospitalisation and illness severity. On average, cases experienced a 7.5 day diarrhoeal illness with additional symptoms including stomach cramps (87.1 %), fever (75.6 %), and nausea (72.0 %). Cases aged ≥75 years had milder symptoms, lower Vesikari scores, and higher odds of hospitalisation compared to younger cases. Chronic gastrointestinal illnesses also increased odds of hospitalisation. We observed significant diversity among isolates, with 65 C . jejuni and 21 C . coli sequence types. Antimicrobial resistance genes were detected in 20.4 % of isolates, but multidrug resistance was rare (0.04 %). Key virulence genes such as cdtABC ( C. jejuni ) and cadF were prevalent (>90 % presence) but did not correlate with disease severity or hospitalisation. However, certain genes (e.g. fliK, Cj1136, and Cj1138) appeared to distinguish human C. jejuni cases from food source isolates. Campylobacteriosis generally presents similarly across cases, though some are more severe. Genotypic virulence factors identified in the literature to-date do not predict disease severity but may differentiate human C. jejuni cases from food source isolates. Host factors like age and comorbidities have a greater influence on health outcomes than virulence factors.

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澳大利亚弯曲菌病的基因组和临床特征

弯曲杆菌 属 是澳大利亚细菌性胃肠炎的常见原因，主要来自受污染的肉类。我们研究了基因组毒力特征与弯曲杆菌病的严重程度、住院治疗和其他宿主因素之间的关系。我们从澳大利亚三个州和地区（2018-2019 年）招募了 571 例弯曲菌病病例。我们收集了人口统计、健康状况、风险因素和自我报告的疾病数据。我们对全基因组进行了测序 422 C。空肠和 84 C . 大肠杆菌病例分离株以及 616 种零售肉类分离株。我们使用改良的 Vesikari 评分系统对病例疾病严重程度进行分类，进行系统发育分析，并探讨住院和疾病严重程度的危险因素。平均而言，病例经历了 7.5 天的腹泻病，并伴有其他症状，包括胃痉挛 (87.1%)、发烧 (75.6%) 和恶心 (72.0%)。与年轻病例相比，年龄≥75岁的病例症状较轻，Vesikari评分较低，住院几率较高。慢性胃肠道疾病也增加了住院的几率。我们观察到分离株之间存在显着的多样性，其中 65 C。空肠和 21 C . 大肠杆菌序列类型。在 20.4% 的分离株中检测到抗菌素耐药基因，但多重耐药基因很少见（0.04%）。cdtABC（空肠弯曲菌）和cadF等关键毒力基因很常见（>90% 存在），但与疾病严重程度或住院治疗无关。然而，某些基因（例如fliK、 Cj1136和Cj1138）似乎可以将人类空肠弯曲菌病例与食物源分离株区分开来。弯曲菌病在不同病例中的表现通常相似，但有些情况更为严重。迄今为止文献中确定的基因型毒力因子不能预测疾病的严重程度，但可以将人类空肠弯曲菌病例与食物来源分离株区分开来。年龄和合并症等宿主因素对健康结果的影响比毒力因素更大。