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

Abstract

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.