Direct milk excretion ofCampylobacter jejuniin a dairy cow causing cases of human enteritis

Abstract

SUMMARYConsumption of milk contaminated withCampylobacter jejunihas been described as a cause of human enteritis. Although faecal contamination of milk with the organism has frequently been described, direct milk excretion ofCampylobacter jejuniinto milk has rarely been linked with cases of human infection. We describe the investigations undertaken following the isolation ofCampylobacter jejunifrom samples of unpasteurized milk prior to retail. Results of epidemiological investigations including typing ofCampylobacter jejuniisolates using pyrolysis mass spectrometry, Penner and Lior serotyping, biotyping, phage typing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis provided convincing evidence implicating direct milk excretion ofCampylobacter jejuniby one asymptomatic dairy cow as the source of the milk contamination and the cause of local cases of human enteritis.

The application of genotyping techniques to the epidemiological analysis ofCampylobacter jejuni

“…Isolates obtained during the course of a number of outbreaks of C. jejuni enteritis were examined by RFLP analysis, and the genotyping results compared with other available typing data are summarized in Tables 3 a-c. RFLP data from a large milkborne outbreak in the Newcastle area is reported elsewhere [15].…”

Longitudinal Study of the Molecular Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni in Cattle on Dairy Farms

“…In a survey of infectious intestinal diseases in England and Wales, 26% of milk-borne outbreaks were attributable to campylobacters during an 8-year period (13). Fecal contamination (27), direct udder excretion (15,23), and wild birds pecking milk bottle tops (30) are among the reported mechanisms by which milk becomes contaminated with campylobacters.…”

A milk-borne campylobacter outbreak following an educational farm visit

“…Milk-borne outbreaks are thought to occur either as a result of faecal contamination of milk [10,11] or udder excretion of campylobacter by dairy cows [12]. The latter may occur not only in cows with mastitis but also in asymptomatic cows [13]. No 15,16].…”