Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Campylobacter Infections and Child Growth in South Asia: Analyzing Data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study

Campylobacter is a major cause of food-borne gastrointestinal illnesses worldwide, predominantly affecting children under 5 years of age. This study examined potential associations of symptomatic (with diarrhea) and asymptomatic (without diarrhea) Campylobacter infections with child growth among children under 5 years of age in South Asia. The Global Enteric Multicenter Study was conducted from 2007 to 2011 with a case-control design. Children were followed for 60 days after enrollment. Stool culture was performed to isolate Campylobacter spp. Among the 22,567 enrolled children, 9,439 were symptomatic, with 786 (8.28%) testing positive for Campylobacter. Conversely, 13,128 asymptomatic healthy controls were included, with 1,057 (8.05%) testing positive for Campylobacter. Growth faltering was observed in the symptomatic group, particularly among children aged 0–11 months (−0.19 height-for-age z score [HAZ]; 95% CI: −0.36, −0.03; P = 0.018) and 24–59 months (−0.16 HAZ; 95% CI: −0.28, −0.04; P = 0.010). However, in the asymptomatic group, growth faltering was observed only in the 24- to 59-month age group, in terms of HAZ (−0.15 HAZ; 95% CI: −0.24, −0.05; P = 0.002) and weight-for-height z score (−0.16; 95% CI: −0.26, −0.06; P = 0.001). These findings underscore the importance of immediate and enhanced introduction of preventive modalities to reduce the burden of Campylobacter infections and reduce their long-term sequelae.