16S rRNA Gene Sequencing of Human Feces from C. jejuni CHIM

Campylobacter jejuni infection is a leading cause of foodborne disease, common to children, adult travelers, and military populations in low- to middle-income countries. In the absence of a licensed vaccine, efforts to evaluate prophylactic agents are underway. The prophylactic efficacy of a twice-daily, 550 mg dose of the antibiotic rifaximin demonstrated no efficacy against campylobacteriosis in a controlled human infection model (CHIM); however, samples from the CHIM study were utilized to assess how the human gut microbiome responds to C. jejuni infection via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and if a 'protective' microbiota exists in subjects not developing campylobacteriosis. Our work provides insight into gut microbiome shifts observed during a C. jejuni CHIM and following antibiotic treatment; future studies should expand upon this work, including CHIMs at lower inoculation doses and expansion into field studies involving naturally-occurring enteric infections. The project was in collaboration with the Naval Medical Research Center and the corresponding author of the manuscript is Dr. Frederic Poly.