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Paediatric campylobacter diarrhoea from household exposure to live chickens in Lima, Peru
Insights
Direct contact with chicken feces is a primary transmission route for Campylobacter jejuni infections in young children in Peru. This finding highlights household poultry exposure as a significant risk factor for pediatric diarrhea.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of pediatric diarrhea in developing nations.
- The transmission routes of Campylobacter jejuni are not fully understood.
- Understanding transmission is crucial for preventing childhood diarrheal diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors and transmission vehicles for Campylobacter jejuni diarrhea in young children.
- To investigate the role of household exposures in the spread of C. jejuni.
Main Methods:
- An age-matched case-control study was conducted in Lima, Peru (1983-1986).
- 104 children under 3 years with C. jejuni diarrhea (cases) were compared to children with non-gastrointestinal illnesses (controls).
- Socioeconomic, environmental, and household exposures were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Household exposure to live chickens was a significant risk factor (Odds Ratio: 11).
- Infected households showed higher C. jejuni infection rates.
- Younger children were more severely affected, suggesting acquired immunity.
Conclusions:
- Direct contact with feces from C. jejuni-infected chickens in households is a major transmission route.
- Household poultry exposure poses a substantial risk for infant infections.
- Findings inform public health strategies for diarrheal disease prevention.
Abstract:
Although Campylobacter jejuni is a frequent enteropathogen in cases of paediatric diarrhoea in developing countries, its route of transmission is not well understood. An age-matched, case-control study of children with C. jejuni diarrhoea was therefore carried out in Lima, Peru, from January 1983 to April 1986 to identify the risk factors and vehicles of transmissions. As cases, 104 children less than 3 years of age were selected and compared with controls of the same age with non-gastrointestinal illnesses. Household exposure to live chickens was an important risk factor (odds ratio, 11; after adjusting for socioeconomic and environmental variables). Subjects in index households had a higher frequency of infection than those in control households, and infected young children were more likely to be ill than older children or adults, suggesting that immunity may be acquired from natural infection. The risk factors identified suggest that direct contact with the faeces of C. jejuni-infected chickens in the household environment was largely responsible for transmission of the organism to susceptible infants.