Campylobacter vaccination reduces diarrheal disease and growth stunting among infant rhesus macaques

Campylobacter-associated enteric disease is responsible for more than 160 million cases of bacterial gastroenteritis each year and has been linked to growth stunting of infants living under conditions of poor sanitation and hygiene. Here, we examined naturally occurring Campylobacter-associated diarrhea among rhesus macaques as a model to determine if vaccination could reduce severe diarrheal disease and infant growth stunting. Compared to unvaccinated controls, there were no Campylobacter diarrhea-associated deaths observed among vaccinated infant macaques and all-cause diarrhea-associated infant mortality decreased by 76% (P = 0.03). By 9 months of age, there was a 1.3 cm increase in dorsal length that equaled a 1.28 LAZ (Length-for-Age Z score) improvement in linear growth among vaccinated infants compared to their unvaccinated counterparts (P = 0.001). Together, these results indicate that Campylobacter vaccination not only reduces severe diarrheal disease but also serves as an effective intervention that significantly improves infant growth trajectories.