A rare bacterial infection in Alaska turned out to be mostly a lab error

A jump in reports of a rare Campylobacter infection in Alaska last year turned out to be largely a counting problem. State epidemiologists logged 19 reports of Campylobacter ureolyticus in 2025, but a records review traced 13 of them to one lab that had misreported mixed specimens. That left six confirmed cases statewide — still more than prior years. Two of the six were hospitalized and one died during the investigation.

The state says the remaining cases may reflect better testing, a real rise in infections, or both, and noted the species may be an underrecognized cause of infection outside the gut.