Background: Campylobacter spp. is one of the most common causes of diarrheal diseases all over the world, with a rapid acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Campylobacter is 1 of 4 key global causes of diarrhoeal diseases.
Objective: To detect the frequency of Campylobacter species in diarrheal stool of children under ten years by conventional and molecular methods, and detect the bacterial ability to produce biofilm.
Methods: A total of 200 children presented with diarrhea were enrolled in this study. Campylobacter was isolated and diagnosed primarily by characteristic features on Gram stain, culture media, biochemical tests, and tested against 13 antibiotics by disc diffusion method. The ability of biofilm production was tested by crystal violet quantitative ELISA microtiter plate assays. Then Campylobacter spp was detected by Multiplex PCR using species specific genes.
Results: The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 17% by conventional methods and 15% by molecular method. The results of antibiotic susceptibility test showed that there is complete resistance (100%) to cephalothin, ampicillin, and clindamycin for both species, full resistance (100%) to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol and erythromycin by C. coli, and high resistance (92.3%) to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol and erythromycin by C. jejuni, while the lowest resistance was to nalidixic acid and amikacin (7.7%) by C. jejuni, and (12.5%) to tetracyclin, amoxicillin, amikacin, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin by C. coli. Statistically, there is no significant difference between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter species.
The frequency of biofilm production in all positive Skirrow’s culture was (35.29%) as 12 out of 34 positive isolates, ranging from mild to severe biofilm formation. By PCR assay, 64.7 % (22 of 34) positive Skirrow’s culture were also positive based on hipO gene specific for C. jejuni, while the prevalence of asp gene was (23.5%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 17% by conventional methods and 15% by molecular methods. Most Campylobacter isolates were MDR and sensitive to a limited number of antibiotics. Many isolates produced biofilm. A significant correlation was found between hippurate hydrolysis and molecular detection of Campylobacter spp. using hipO and asp genes.
Author(s) Details:
Thanaa R. Abdulrahman
Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, AL-Nahrain University, Iraq.
Ghada N. Khalaf
Department of Pathological and Medical Analysis, MSc Microbiology, Iraq.
Jabbar S. Hassan
Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, AL-Nahrain University, Iraq.
Recent Global Research Developments in Diarrhea in Kids: The Role of Campylobacter
Campylobacter Infections in Children: This article from Pediatrics In Review discusses the prevalence and clinical manifestations of Campylobacter infections in children, highlighting that Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of foodborne illness in young children [1] .
2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines: These guidelines provide comprehensive recommendations for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea, including those caused by Campylobacter species [2] .
Prevalence, Determinants, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns: Published in PLOS ONE, this study examines the prevalence of Campylobacter infections among children with acute watery diarrhea and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns [3] .
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli Infection: Another PLOS ONE article that explores the determinants and public health impact of Campylobacter infections, noting their significant contribution to diarrheal illnesses globally [4] .
Co-occurrence of Campylobacter Species in Children: This study from Frontiers in Public Health investigates the presence of multiple Campylobacter species in children’s stools and their association with gut health and diarrhea [5] .
References
- Same, R. G., & Tamma, P. D. (2018). Campylobacter infections in children. Pediatrics in review, 39(11), 533.
- Andi L Shane, Rajal K Mody, John A Crump, Phillip I Tarr, Theodore S Steiner, Karen Kotloff, Joanne M Langley, Christine Wanke, Cirle Alcantara Warren, Allen C Cheng, Joseph Cantey, Larry K Pickering, 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Diarrhea, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 65, Issue 12, 15 December 2017, Pages e45–e80, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix669
- Behailu, Y., Hussen, S., Alemayehu, T., Mengistu, M., & Fenta, D. A. (2022). Prevalence, determinants, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Campylobacter infection among under-five children with diarrhea at Governmental Hospitals in Hawassa city, Sidama, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study. PLoS One, 17(5), e0266976.
- Worku, M., Tessema, B., Ferede, G., Ochieng, L., Leliso, S. A., Mutua, F., … & Gelaw, B. (2024). Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli infection, determinants and antimicrobial resistance patterns among under-five children with diarrhea in Amhara National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia. Plos one, 19(7), e0304409.
To Read the Complete Chapter See Here