Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and Arcobacter skirrowii Circulation in a Dairy Farm and Sources of Milk Contamination

Abstract

Even though dairy cows are known carriers of Arcobacter species and raw or minimally processed foods are recognized as the main sources of human Arcobacter infections in industrialized countries, data on Arcobacter excretion patterns in cows and in milk are scant. This study aimed to identify potentially pathogenic Arcobacter species in a dairy herd and to investigate the routes of Arcobacter transmission among animals and the potential sources of cattle infection and milk contamination. A strategy of sampling the same 50 dairy animals, feed, water, and milk every month for a 10-month period, as well as the sampling of quarter milk, animal teats, the milking environment, and animals living on the farm (pigeons and cats), was used to evaluate, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the characteristic patterns in animals, their living environment, and the raw milk they produced. Of the 463 samples collected, 105 (22.6%) were positive for Arcobacter spp. by culture examination. All the matrices except quarter milk and pigeon gut samples were positive, with prevalences ranging from 15 to 83% depending on the sample. Only three Arcobacter species, Arcobacter cryaerophilus (54.2%), A. butzleri (34.2%), and A. skirrowii (32.3%), were detected. PFGE analysis of 370 isolates from positive samples provided strong evidence of Arcobacter circulation in the herd: cattle likely acquire the microorganisms by orofecal transmission, either by direct contact or from the environment, or both. Water appears to be a major source of animal infection. Raw milk produced by the farm and collected from a bulk tank was frequently contaminated (80%) by A. butzleri; our PFGE findings excluded primary contamination of milk, whereas teats and milking machine surfaces could be sources of Arcobacter milk contamination.

Arcobacter: an emerging food-borne zoonotic pathogen, its public health concerns and advances in diagnosis and control – a comprehensive review

“…Very recently, water contamination of Arcobacter (80%) in a farm was documented with A. skirrowii (13%), A. butzleri (40%) and A. cryaerophilus (63%). Same Arcobacter species were isolated after two months from the water troughs which indicates the capacity to form biofilms or as a secondary bioformer (Giacometti et al 2015). This study also reported the presence of A. butzleri in oral cavity of cats.…”

“…A study by Giacometti et al (2015) indicated absence of Arcobacter spp. in pigeon gut samples (47 numbers tested) and that these birds do not have any role in transmission of Arcobacter to cattle.…”

“…in healthy cattle from different countries of the world. A. butzleri was the most common organism isolated in dairy farms when compared to other Arcobacter species which may be attributed to the ability of this organism to thrive in different environmental conditions (Golla et al 2002;Giacometti et al 2015). Merga et al (2011Merga et al ( , 2013 reported prevalence of 43% from feces of cattle and 40% from feces of sheep in United Kingdom.…”

“…can adhere to eukaryotic cells, invade and produce toxins resulting in damage to host cells. Adhesion and invasion of Giacometti et al (2015) bacteria to host cells are essential for successful colonization and establishment of infection (Kolling et al 2012), which might be responsible for potential pathogenic nature of various Arcobacter spp. The mechanism responsible for A. butzleri induced diarrhea was explored by Bucker et al (2009), wherein it was shown to be related to functional impairment of the epithelial barrier in human colonic carcinoma cells (HT-29/B6), by enhancing the macromolecular permeability through paracellular pathway and decreasing the epithelial resistance.…”

Occurrence of putative virulence genes onArcobacter butzleriisolated from three different environmental sites throughout the dairy chain

“…; Giacometti et al . ), in‐line milk filters (Serraino et al . ), cow and water buffalo milk (Scullion et al .…”