Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Campylobacter Infection and Projected
Habitat Suitability of Dominant Campylobacter Species in Eastern
Ethiopia
Abstract
Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness
globally. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections with
Campylobacter species have been associated with growth faltering of
children in low-resource settings, while previous prevalence studies
primarily focused on diarrheal disease in children. Here, we leverage
the data collected from the Campylobacter Genomics and Environmental
Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) project to characterize the spatial patterns
of Campylobacter infections among infants with or without diarrhea in
rural Eastern Ethiopia. Randomly enrolled infants (n = 106) were
followed from birth to around 13 months, with fecal samples collected
monthly. Livestock, drinking water, and soil samples were collected
biannually. Campylobacter was detected and quantified using
genus-specific PCR and species-specific PCR for four species. We
employed a spatial filtering approach using genus-specific data to
generate smoothed prevalence surfaces by month and age group.
Temporally, an upward trend of prevalence was observed as the children
grew older. Spatially, high-prevalence areas were distributed across the
whole study area. To relate disease risk to environmental conditions, we
used ecological niche modeling with MaxEnt to estimate habitat
suitability of the genus Campylobacter and two dominant species
identified by PCR results. Elevation, vegetation index, and slope were
the most important contributors, and all distribution models suggested
areas in the north were more likely to support the pathogen. These
results inform Campylobacter infection patterns and identify target
areas with higher risk of Campylobacter in low-resource settings. This
further contributes to developing effective intervention strategies in
the future.