title: Campylobacter immunity and quantitative excretion rates in Thai children.
abstract: Campylobacter species were isolated from 61 (15%) of 416 Thai children < 5 years old with diarrhea. Although the baseline levels of Campylobacter-specific antibody increased with age, 80.3% of Campylobacter-infected children seroconverted compared with 12.9% of 45 Shigella-infected patients used as controls. The response to acute infection was greatest in the 6- to 12-month-old group. Nonseroconverters had higher initial IgG levels than did seroconverters (P = .001). Quantitative cultures showed a range of 1-8 log10 Campylobacter cfu/g of stool (median, 6.0 log10), and the seroconversion rate was highest in those with the highest Campylobacter excretion. Fecal Campylobacter excretion was inversely related to age (chi 2 for trend, P = .03). These studies indicate that endemic Campylobacter exposure frequently induces seroconversion in young children, whether Campylobacter is isolated as a single pathogen or one of multiple pathogens, and that fecal excretion of the organism is inversely related to the age-related immune response to infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Perlman
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Echeverria
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lexomboon
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Blaser
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000150:complications; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial