Proximity to Other Commercial Turkey Farms Affects Colonization Onset, Genotypes, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Campylobacter spp. in Turkeys: Suggestive Evidence from a Paired-Farm Model

Abstract

is a leading foodborne pathogen, and poultry products are major vehicles for human disease. However, determinants impacting colonization in poultry remain poorly understood, especially with turkeys. Here, we used a paired-farm design to concurrently investigate colonization and strain types in two turkey breeds (Hybrid and Nicholas) at two farms in eastern North Carolina. One farm (the Teaching Animal Unit [TAU]) was a university teaching unit at least 40 km from commercial turkey farms, while the other (SIB) was a commercial farm in an area with a high density of turkey farms. Day-old birds were obtained from the same breeder flock and hatchery and placed at TAU and SIB on the same day. Birds were marked to identify turkey breed and then commingled on each farm. TAU birds became colonized 1 week later than SIB and had lower initial levels in the cecum. Interestingly, genotypes and antimicrobial resistance profiles differed markedly between the farms. Most TAU isolates were resistant only to tetracycline, whereas multidrug-resistant isolates predominated at SIB. Multilocus sequence typing revealed that no genotypes were shared between TAU and SIB. A bovine-associated genotype (sequence type 1068 [ST1068]) predominated in from TAU, while SIB isolates had genotypes commonly encountered in commercial turkey production in the region. One multidrug-resistant strain (ST1839) showed significant association with one of the two turkey breeds. The findings highlight the need to further characterize the impact of farm-specific factors and host genetics on antimicrobial resistance and genotypes of and that colonize turkeys. Colonization of poultry with at the farm level is complex, poorly understood, and critically linked to contamination of poultry products, which is known to constitute a leading risk factor for human campylobacteriosis. Here, we investigated the use of a paired-farm design under standard production conditions and in the absence of experimental inoculations to assess potential impacts of farm and host genetics on prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and genotypes of in commercial turkeys of two different breeds. Data suggest impacts of farm proximity to other commercial turkey farms on the onset of colonization, genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of colonizing the birds. Furthermore, the significant association of a specific multidrug-resistant strain with turkeys of one breed suggests colonization partnerships at the strain-turkey breed level. The study design avoids potential pitfalls associated with experimental inoculations, providing novel insights into the dynamics of turkey colonization with in actual farm ecosystems.

Search for Campylobacter spp. Reveals High Prevalence and Pronounced Genetic Diversity of Arcobacter butzleri in Floodwater Samples Associated with Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, USA

“…Previous studies of turkey and swine farms in eastern North Carolina as well as wildlife and cattle in the same region, using the same culture conditions as those employed here, revealed a high prevalence of Campylobacter ; Arcobacter was not isolated from those samples, which yielded exclusively C. jejuni or C. coli ( 14 , 17 – 19 , 21 , 24 , 25 ). In the floodwater samples analyzed in the current study, Campylobacter prevalence was low (1.0%) in contrast to the overall high prevalence (73.5%) of Arcobacter .…”

Strain-Specific Differences in Survival of Campylobacter spp. in Naturally Contaminated Turkey Feces and Water

“…In another study with commercial turkeys in the same region (eastern North Carolina), we discovered that C. coli TSEKQ isolates of ST-1161, ST-1149, and ST-906, related (one-to three-allele differences) to ST-1101 of C. coli TSEKQ in the current study, were frequently isolated from the cecal contents of young turkeys in the first 5 weeks of life, but their frequency declined significantly as birds aged (39). Such data had led to the hypothesis that these strains may have relatively low fitness in regard to their capacity to compete with other Campylobacter strains and other microbes in the gut as birds age (39). The current data suggest that C. coli TSEKQ with ST-1101 may also have relatively impaired fitness after excretion.…”

“…The current data suggest that C. coli TSEKQ with ST-1101 may also have relatively impaired fitness after excretion. It would be of interest to identify potential linkages between the low fitness of these strains in the feces from the relatively old birds in the current study (flocks were, on average, 12.8 weeks old when feces were collected) and their previously observed significant decrease in cecal prevalence with increasing age of the flocks (39).…”

Impact of Ceftiofur Administration in Steers on the Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter spp.

“…All isolates were routinely tested for resistance to a panel of antimicrobial agents (tetracycline, streptomycin, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin) as described [48,49], using the pan-sensitive (PS) C. jejuni ATCC 33560 as a quality assurance control. To assess potential changes of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ceftiofur over time, 25 C. jejuni isolates were selected from the CCFA (n = 19) and CHCL (n = 6) groups (Table S3) based on the following criteria: they originated from the same steer at the same incubation temperature, had the same species and AMR combination and the same or closely-related ST, and were isolated at different times.…”