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Carriage of intestinal spirochaetes by humans: epidemiological data from Western Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2001

C. J. BROOKE ,
A. N. CLAIR ,
A. S. J. MIKOSZA ,
T. V. RILEY  and
D. J. HAMPSON
C. J. BROOKE
Affiliation:
Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
A. N. CLAIR
Affiliation:
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Western Australian Centre of Pathology and Medical Research, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia
A. S. J. MIKOSZA
Affiliation:
Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
T. V. RILEY
Affiliation:
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Western Australian Centre of Pathology and Medical Research, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia Department of Microbiology, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia
D. J. HAMPSON
Affiliation:
Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
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Abstract

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The purpose of this study was to investigate carriage of intestinal spirochaetes by selected population groups in Western Australia. Stool specimens from 293 rural patients with gastrointestinal disorders, and from 227 healthy migrants from developing countries were cultured. Spirochaete isolates were identified using PCR, and typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Brachyspira aalborgi was not isolated. Brachyspira pilosicoli was recovered from 15 rural patients, all Aboriginal. Prevalence was 9·9% in 151 Aboriginals and 0% in 142 non-Aboriginals. Carriage of B. pilosicoli amongst migrants was 10·6% (24/227). Carriage was significantly increased in Aboriginal children aged 2–5 years (P = 0·0027) and in migrant individuals from the Middle East and Africa (P = 0·0034). Carriage was significantly associated with detection of faecal protozoa in both Aboriginals (P = 0·0021) and migrants (P = 0·012). PFGE results indicated that the B. pilosicoli strains were genetically diverse.

Type
Short Paper
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 127 , Issue 2 , October 2001 , pp. 369 - 374
Copyright
2001 Cambridge University Press