Campylobacter diarrhoea and an association of recent disease with asymptomatic shedding in Egyptian children

Abstract

SUMMARYA hospital-based case-control diarrhoea survey was conducted in Cairo, Egypt to determine the age-specific frequency of campylobacter infection among diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic children aged new born to 5 years. Campylobacter was the most common bacterial enteropathogen isolated from diarrhoeic stools. The overall prevalence of campylobacter isolations was 25 9 % from stools of 143 diarrhoeic children compared to 152 % of 132 non-diarrhoeic control children (P = 0 028) during the 4-month period of study. Children less than 1 year of age were at greatest risk of campylobacter infection with 32-6 % of diarrhoeic patients culture positive, compared to 14-3 % of controls. Asymptomatic shedding in controls was positively associated with a recent diarrhoeal episode (P = 0 019) and may be an important source of new infections.

The Polysaccharide Capsule of Campylobacter jejuni Modulates the Host Immune Response

“…The ability to avoid the immune response of the host provides an advantage in establishing colonization by C. jejuni, be it as a commensal in animals or as a pathogen in humans. Moreover, asymptomatic infection by C. jejuni is common among children in the developing world, and acute infections are frequently followed by periods of asymptomatic shed- ding (51)(52)(53), which may be due, at least in part, to the ability of this pathogen to avoid the host immune response. Similarly, recrudescence of infection following appropriate antibiotic treatment in an immunocompetent adult has been reported (54).…”

Foodborne Illness Incidence Rates and Food Safety Risks for Populations of Low Socioeconomic Status and Minority Race/Ethnicity: A Review of the Literature

“…One possibility is that this population may have greater immunity to Campylobacter . Immunity to Campylobacter has been established both in young children in developing countries [38,39,40] as well as with the consumption of raw milk [41]. It is not clear from FoodNet data whether African American children have greater rates of campylobacteriosis than children of other races and ethnicities, which may result in immunity among the African American population.…”

Host-Pathogen Interactions inCampylobacterInfections: the Host Perspective

“…Chickens can be colonized with as many as 10 9 CFU C. jejuni per gram cecal contents (43), and colonized mice can shed up to 10 6 CFU per mg feces (18). Studies of children in developing countries have shown that rates of asymptomatic carriage of Campylobacter in children are around 15% (108,131), suggesting that some acquired immunity is induced from multiple exposures during early childhood. Wheeler et al reported a rate of asymptomatic carriage of 0.7% in a population study involving adults in the United Kingdom (179).…”