Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni , Campylobacter lari , and Campylobacter coli in Different Ecological Guilds and Taxa of Migrating Birds

Abstract

A total of 1,794 migrating birds trapped at a coastal site in southern Sweden were sampled for detection of Campylobacter spp. All isolates phenotypically identified as Campylobacter jejuni and a subset of those identified as non-C. jejuni were identified to the species level by PCR-based techniques. C. jejuni was found in 5.0% of the birds, Campylobacter lari was found in 5.6%, and Campylobacter coli was found in 0.9%. An additional 10.7% of the tested birds were infected with hippurate hydrolysis-negative Campylobacter spp. that were not identified to the species level. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. differed significantly between ecological guilds of birds. Shoreline-foraging birds feeding on invertebrates and opportunistic feeders were most commonly infected (76.8 and 50.0%, respectively). High prevalence was also shown in other ground-foraging guilds, i.e., ground-foraging invertebrate feeders (11.0%), ground-foraging insectivores (20.3%), and plant-eating species (18.8%). Almost no Campylobacter spp. were found in ground-foraging granivores (2.3%), arboreal insectivores (0.6%), aerial insectivores (0%), or reed-and herbaceous plant-foraging insectivores (3.5%). During the autumn migration, a high proportion of samples from juveniles were positive (7.1% in passerines, 55.0% in shorebirds), indicating transmission on the breeding grounds or during the early part of migration. Prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was associated with increasing body mass among passerine bird species. Furthermore, prevalence was higher in short-distance migrants wintering in Europe than in long-distance migrants wintering in Africa, the Middle East, or Asia. Among ground-foraging birds of the Muscicapidae, those of the subfamily Turdinae (i.e., Turdus spp.) showed a high prevalence of Campylobacter spp., while the organism was not isolated in any member of the subfamily Muscicapinae (i.e., Erithacus and Luscinia). The prevalence of Campylobacter infection in wild birds thus seems to be linked to various ecological and phylogenetic factors, with great variations in carriership between different taxa and guilds.For decades, wild birds have been considered natural vertebrate reservoirs of Campylobacter spp. (23,25) and are frequently mentioned as possible vectors for transmission to poultry (2, 15, 40), cattle (22), and humans (35,38,44). Campylobacter jejuni, the main human pathogen of the genus, is now recognized as a leading cause of acute bacterial gastroenteritis in many parts of the world (3, 18). Understanding the epidemiology of Campylobacter spp. in wild birds appears to be an essential part of the puzzle. However, although the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in humans and poultry has been well studied (2, 3), little is known about the prevalence of this organism in wild birds. Published works on wild birds in the context of Campylobacter epidemiology have focused either on single taxonomic groups of birds, e.g., wildfowl (27, 29), shorebirds (19), gulls (26, 45), and corvids (38), or on birds inhabiting different habi...

Campylobacter

“…Therefore, the natural environment is an important reservoir of the UPTC organisms. However, in a study by Waldenstrom et al [184] were unable to detect any UPTC organisms in a wild bird population in Sweden.…”

Prevalence of Campylobacter subtypes in pheasants (Phasianus colchicus spp. torquatus) in the Czech Republic

“…Waldenstrom et al (2002) monitored various wild birds and found that the mean prevalence of Campylobacter spp. infection was 21.6% for all tested birds, but differed significantly between ecological guilds of birds and seems to be linked to various phylogenetic factors.…”

“…is frequently found in feces of healthy animals, especially birds and is widely distributed in the environment (Engvall et al, 2002;Workman et al, 2005). Wild birds are often considered to be a potential reservoir for C. jejuni in nature and possible source of human infections (Levesque et al, 2000;Waldenstrom et al, 2002). So far, however, genotyping methods were rarely used to examine whether bacterial isolates found in wild birds are comparable with those isolated from humans with clinical disease.…”

Variation in Plumage Microbiota Depends on Season and Migration

“…We now recognize that avian migration can be an efficient mode of transport for avian microorganisms [16,33] and a catalyst for infection by endoparasites and pathogens [12]. Furthermore, with the emergence of highly pathogenic diseases such as avian influenza [16] and West Nile virus [20], avian migration has become a topic of multidisciplinary concern (e.g., [13,26]).…”

“…Burtt and Ichida [5], Lucas et al [18], and Peele et al [22] showed that feather-degrading bacilli and plumage microbial communities varied geographically and locally among habitats. Although focusing on fecal microbes, Waldenström et al [33] found that Campylobacter spp. were more common in short-distance than long-distance migratory birds.…”