Role of temporary intestinal brush border dysfunction in Campylobacter jejuni diarrhea

The pathophysiologic effects of Campylobacter jejuni on weanling ferrets were investigated by assessing jejunal disaccharidase activities, glucose and theophylline stimulation of jejunal mucosal ion transport, fecal levels of reducing sugars, and histologic appearance of the gut. Compared with uninoculated controls, ferrets at the peak of Campylobacter -induced watery diarrhea exhibited two- to threefold reductions in sucrase, maltase, and lactase activity, a sixfold lower short-circuit current response to glucose stimulation, and a twofold higher response to theophylline stimulation, plus a striking increase in fecal levels of reducing sugars. These physiologic alterations rapidly returned to normal as diarrhea subsided. Jejunal epithelial cells of all diarrheic animals appeared morphologically normal by light microscopy. Passively immunized kits, heavily colonized but not diarrheic, were indistinguishable from controls in every assessment.