RFLP analysis of flagellin (Fla) gene of Campylobacter jejuni from ovines of Kashmir, India

Abstract

Campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequently reported foodborne illness transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans. Humans can be infected after ingesting undercooked poultry and other meats, raw milk, raw clams, contaminated foodstuffs etc. In the present study sheep breeding farms of Kashmir valley were screened for presence of Campylobacter jejuni, and C. coli. infection. Of the 200 samples comprising of vaginal swabs and aborted material 25(12.5%) isolates were found to be positive for Campylobacter genus, 17 (8.5%) isolates were positive for C. jejuni and 3(1.5%) for C. coli. C. jejuni and C. coli were found to harbour virulence genes like fla, cdt and cad. Amplified flagellin gene (855 bp) of all C. jujeni isolates on digestion with DdeI yielded ∼700 bp and ∼155 bp products indicating no genetic variability among isolates. The flagellin gene sequence was deposited in GenBank under accession no MG417049. Practical applications The present study aimed to screen the sheep farms of Kashmir for presence of C. jejuni and C. coli infection. Food safety is of importance to the consumer, the food industry, and the economy. Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. are the leading causes of bacterial foodborne illness and are considered as major public health concern. The major routes of transmission in humans are contaminated or undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk or dairy products, and untreated water. Screening of sheep for Campylobacteriosis in the present study is a part of work aiming to suggest control measures and intervention strategies, to minimize the occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in sheep and poultry flocks of the state in particular and country in general. This would reduce the quantitative Campylobacter burden in animals and foods thereby reduce the pathogen risk to humans.

Genotyping and antibiotic resistance patterns of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis from cattle farms in India

“…Whereas 58 of 200 samples (29%) were detected positive by PCR, only 11 (5Á5%) isolates were detectable by culture. This low detection could be due to fastidious growth requirement of organism (Gull et al 2018). Of the tested animals, 42Á2% of cows were positive but only 1Á5% bulls were positive by culture (by PCR, these fractions were 48 and 3%, respectively).…”

Detection of Campylobacter spp. in farmed sheep in Mymensingh division of Bangladesh: Prevalence, risk factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility status

“…The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 9.33% in sheep in the coastal region of Odisha, India [ 38 ] and 12.5% in Kashmir, India, according to vaginal swabs and aborted material examination [ 39 ]. The findings of these studies corroborated with our study findings.…”

Virulence profiling of Campylobacter spp., C. jejuni and C. fetus subsp. fetus abortions rise in sheep farms in Kashmir, India

“…No samples were positive for wlaN. Bisma et al (2018) also reported the presence of the virulence genes fla, cdt, and cad in seventeen isolates of C. jejuni and three isolates of C. coli.…”

“…C. jejuni (1%) was only isolated from vaginal swabs of the healthy animals. Several studies (Hamali et al 2014, Bisma et al 2018 have reported the presence of C. jejuni and C. fetus subsp. fetus from the vaginal swabs and aborted samples.…”

“…fetus from the vaginal swabs and aborted samples. Bisma et al (2018), reported 10% of cases positive for Campylobacter jejuni, and 3.33% of cases for Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus from 150 vaginal samples of aborted ewes.…”