Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) for Detection of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in Thai Children with Diarrhea

Campylobacter species are common causes of bacterial diarrhea, and Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli are known as the predominant causative agents in humans. Recent studies suggested that loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is an efficient and practical tool for rapid detection of C. jejuni and C. coli in clinical samples. We used LAMP to screen 151 stool samples for Campylobacter; these samples were collected in 2012 from Thai children with diarrhea. The PCR method discriminated C. jejuni and C. coli among the detected Campylobacter strains; these species were subjected to sequencing of the hip gene (in C. jejuni) or the ask gene (in C. coli). The results suggest that the prevalence of Campylobacter infection among Thai children with diarrhea is 8.6%, and C. jejuni is the most prevalent species.