[Studies of outer membrane protein profiles by SDS-PAGE for Campylobacter jejuni in an epidemiological investigation]

The characteristics of outer membrane protein profiles of 41 strains of Campylobacter jejuni from various sources by SDS-PAGE was studied. Seven and nine OMP patterns were differentiated respectively by the presence or absence of six outer membrane protein bands and by the number and size of the molecular weight of the major protein bands. Comparing the OMP patterns of the strains from human with those from animals, the authors inferred that chickens and other animals might be one of the sources for the human infection of Campylobacter jejuni in this district. A comparison between the OMP patterns of the strains from diarrheic children and those from healthy carriers suggested that the pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni be possibly associated with the outer membrane proteins. Using the techniques, the authors studied the infection of Campylobacter jejuni in a nursery. The result showed the infection was sporadic and of multi-sources, as evidenced by the multi-patterns of the outer membrane protein profiles. It also indicates that the person-to-person transmission plays a significant role in the infection of Campylobacter jejuni.