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. 2020 Aug 14;71(4):1000-1007.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz906.

Gut Microbiota Features Associated With Campylobacter Burden and Postnatal Linear Growth Deficits in a Peruvian Birth Cohort

Saba Rouhani  1 , Nicholas W Griffin  2   3 , Pablo Peñataro Yori  1   4 , Maribel Paredes Olortegui  4 , Mery Siguas Salas  4 , Dixner Rengifo Trigoso  4 , Lawrence H Moulton  1 , Eric R Houpt  5 , Michael J Barratt  2   3 , Margaret N Kosek  1   5 , Jeffrey I Gordon  2   3
Affiliations

Gut Microbiota Features Associated With Campylobacter Burden and Postnatal Linear Growth Deficits in a Peruvian Birth Cohort

Saba Rouhani et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Campylobacter infection is associated with impaired growth of children, even in the absence of symptoms. To examine the underlying mechanisms, we evaluated associations between Campylobacter infection, linear growth, and fecal microbial community features in a prospective birth cohort of 271 children with a high burden of diarrhea and stunting in the Amazonian lowlands of Peru.

Methods: Campylobacter was identified using a broadly reactive, genus-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 16S rRNA-based analyses were used to identify bacterial taxa in fecal samples at ages 6, 12, 18, and 24 months (N = 928). Associations between infection, growth, and gut microbial community composition were investigated using multiple linear regression adjusting for within-child correlations, age, and breastfeeding. Indicator species analyses identified taxa specifically associated with Campylobacter burden.

Results: Ninety-three percent (251) of children had Campylobacter present in asymptomatic fecal samples during the follow-up period. A 10% increase in the proportion of stools infected was associated with mean reductions of 0.02 length-for-age z scores (LAZ) at 3, 6, and 9 months thereafter (P < .01). We identified 13 bacterial taxa indicative of cumulative Campylobacter burden and 14 taxa significantly associated with high or low burden of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli, norovirus, or Giardia.

Conclusions: Campylobacter infection is common in this cohort and associated with changes in microbial community composition. These results support the notion that disruptions to the fecal microbiota may help explain the observed effects of asymptomatic infections on growth in early life.

Keywords: Campylobacter; child growth; enteropathy; microbiota.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Time to first detection of Campylobacter by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in routine surveillance fecal samples and diarrheal specimens among infants aged 0–24 months in Santa Clara, Peru.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Associations between amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and high vs low burden of enteropathogens at aged 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The heat map shows the differences between indicator species values for high- and low-burden groups of Campylobacter, Giardia, EAEC, and norovirus. Red values indicate ASVs more associated with high burden, and blue values indicate ASVs more associated with low burden. Significant associations (adjusted P < .05) are indicated by boxes outlined in black. Abbreviations: Campy, Campylobacter; EAEC, entero-aggregative Escherichia coli; Noro, norovirus.
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