Genotypic and Antibiotic Susceptibility Characteristics of a Campylobacter coli Population Isolated from Dairy Farmland in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Campylobacter infections are the most common cause of bacterial enteritis in humans, and nearly 8% of such infections are caused by Campylobacter coli. Most studies have concentrated on Campylobacter jejuni, frequently isolated from intensively farmed poultry and livestock production units, and few studies have examined the spread and relatedness of Campylobacter across a range of geographical and host boundaries. Systematic sampling of a 100-km 2 area of mixed farmland in northwest England yielded 88 isolates of C. coli from a range of sample types and locations, and water was heavily represented. Screening for antibiotic resistance revealed a very low prevalence of resistance, while genotyping performed by using three methods (flaA PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP], pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE], and fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism [fAFLP]) provided insights into the genomic relatedness of isolates from different locations and hosts. Isolates were classified into 23 flaA groups, 34 PFGE groups, and five major fAFLP clusters. PFGE banding analysis revealed a high level of variability and no clustering by sample type. fAFLP and flaA analyses successfully grouped the isolates by sample type. We report preliminary findings suggesting that there is a strain of C. coli which may have become adapted to survival or persistence in water and that there is a group of mainly water-derived isolates from which unusual flaA PCR fragments were recovered.

Campylobacter coliin Swine Production: Antimicrobial Resistance Mechanisms and Molecular Epidemiology

“…MLST and PFGE differentiated the isolates into 26 and 11 clusters, respectively, exhibiting high levels of discrimination depending on the farm type and the antimicrobial resistance pattern. Our results were consistent with other studies where both these methods have been shown to differentiate between closely related strains of Campylobacter (24,41,42). The distribution of specific STs among the isolates at different stages of production and with particular resistance patterns indicated that certain STs were adapted to a specific stage of production.…”

“…Similar results have been reported by other studies where specific clones of C. jejuni have been found associated with particular niches (5). A study in the United Kingdom reported a C. coli strain that may have become adapted to persist in water and act as a source of infection to humans (24).…”

“…We detected clustering of isolates based on the processing stage or sample type rather than the production system. However, in a study conducted in a dairy cattle environment, no clustering of C. coli isolates based on sample type was observed (24). This difference could be attributed to the different environments for dairy cattle and pigs.…”

“…This makes the choice of using a genotyping method for determining the source of an outbreak or comparing isolates from different sources more complex and difficult to interpret. To circumvent this problem, an MLST scheme was developed for C. jejuni and has been shown to be a reliable method for typing human, animal, and environmental strains of this pathogen (5,7,24,25,42). Recently, the MLST scheme was extended for typing C. coli, another impor- Conv Finishing ERY TET 827 33 153 30 82 104 35 17 1059 15 3 Conv Finishing CHL ERY TET 4511 33 38 30 82 104 35 17 1096 9 3 Conv Finishing ERY 872 33 38 30 82 104 85 17 1177 9 3 Conv Finishing ERY TET 4489 33 39 44 82 104 35 36 1417 10 2 Conv Finishing TET 648 32 39 115 115 104 85 17 1420 26 1 Conv Finishing ERY TET 423 33 38 46 82 104 173 17 1422 19 11 Conv Finishing ERY TET 429 33 39 46 82 104 47 17 1423 3 1 Conv Finishing CHL CIP ERY NAL TET 4516 33 39 134 174 104 43 68 1425 21 1 Conv Finishing CHL CIP ERY NAL TET 4517 33 39 134 17...…”

Characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter isolated from pig and cattle carcasses in Poland

“…However, as many as 51.8% of the 212,064 Campylobacter isolates were not characterized at the bacterial species level. Case-control studies suggest that etiological risk factors for human infection with these two species are different but C. coli may play a considerably more important role than previously thought (Gillespie et al 2002, Tam et al 2003, Leatherbarrow et al 2004.…”