Occurrence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and their biotypes in beef and dairy cattle from the south of Chile

Prevalence and levels of Campylobacter in broiler chicken batches and carcasses in Ireland in 2017-2018

In 2008, an EU wide baseline survey of broilers revealed a high Campylobacter prevalence. To assist with industry-wide controls, updated data were required. The primary objective of this study was to establish up-to-date data on Campylobacter carriage and carcass contamination in Irish broilers. Monthly samples were collected from the three largest broiler processing plants in Ireland over a twelve-month period. Samples were taken from both first and final thin birds (partial and full depopulation) from 358 batches of broilers. From each batch, a composite sample of 10 caecal contents (n = 358) and 5 neck skins (n = 1790) were collected and numbers of Campylobacter in each sample were determined. Of the 1790 neck skin samples tested, 53% were Campylobacter positive. Campylobacter was detected in the caecal contents of 66% of all batches tested. Depopulation and/or age had a significant effect on Campylobacter prevalence with 67% of final thin broilers yielding Campylobacter-positive neck skin samples in contrast to 38% of first thin broilers that yielded positive neck skin samples (P ≤ 0.002). A significant seasonal variation was observed in the rate of Campylobacter-positive caecal samples with higher prevalence seen in July (85%) than the colder months of November (61%), December (50%), January (61%) March (57%) and April (59%). Neck skin samples were 7 times more likely to be Campylobacter positive if the caecal contents from the same batch were positive (odds ratio = 7.1; P ≤ 0.0001). The decrease in Campylobacter prevalence observed in neck skin and caecal contents demonstrates the improvements and progress made in reducing prevalences of this important enteropathogen in the Irish poultry industry since the 2008 EU baseline survey. It also provides further supporting data on the impact of thinning, the processing environment and season on Campylobacter prevalence.

Occurrence and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter upsaliensis in Beef Cattle on Cow-Calf Operations in South Africa

This study investigated occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter spp. isolates in beef cattle on five cow-calf operations in South Africa. A total of 537 fecal samples from adult beef cattle (n = 435) and rectal swabs from calves (n = 102) were screened for Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter upsaliensis by culture and polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, 86 Campylobacter spp. isolates including 46 C. jejuni, 24 C. coli, and 16 C. upsaliensis were tested for antimicrobial resistance against a panel of 9 antimicrobials. Overall, Campylobacter spp. was detected in 29.7% of cattle. Among the 158 Campylobacter spp.-positive cattle, 61.8% carried C. jejuni, 25% carried C. coli, and 10% carried C. upsaliensis. Five animals (3.1%) had mixed infections: three cows carried C. jejuni and C. coli concurrently, one cow had both C. jejuni and C. upsaliensis, and one cow harbored C. coli and C. upsaliensis. Antimicrobial resistance profiling among 86 Campylobacter spp. isolates revealed that 52.3% of the isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials. Antimicrobial resistance was observed in 46.7% of C. jejuni isolates, 35.6% of C. coli, and 17.8% of C. upsaliensis. Thirty-six percent of isolates were resistant to clindamycin, 19.7% to nalidixic acid, 18.6% to tetracycline, and 17.4% to erythromycin. Lower resistance rates were recorded for azithromycin (8.1%), florfenicol (3.4%), gentamicin (4.8%), and telithromycin and ciprofloxacin (5.8%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 32.5% of isolates. Significantly higher levels of MDR were detected among C. jejuni (36.9%) and C. coli (33.3%) isolates in comparison to C. upsaliensis (18.7%). Two main multiresistance patterns were detected: nalidixic acid/clindamycin (17.8%) and tetracycline/clindamycin (14.2%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which has shown that beef cattle on cow-calf operations in South Africa constitute an important reservoir and a potential source of clinically relevant and antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter spp. strains.

Prevalence Rate, Antibiotic Resistance and Biotyping of Thermotolerant Campylobacter Isolated from Poultry Products Vended in Wasit Markets

Campylobacter is a public cause of globally identified human gastrointestinal disease. Nonetheless, in Iraq many sides of the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis and its impact on public health remain poorly understood. Hence, this study was taken to offer reference information on the prevalence rate, sensitivity to antibiotics and biotyping of Campylobacter in poultry products sold in the Wasit markets. A total of 85 samples were collected including chicken (n = 45) and turkey (n =40) meat were surveyed for isolation and identification. Thermotolerant Campylobacter was detected in 54 samples by which Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) was recognized as a main species accounting for 37(68.5%),while Campylobacter coli (C. coli) had 17 (31.5%) of the positive samples. Highest resistance was perceived to oxacillin and tetracycline as (94.4% and 85.2%), respectively. While lowest rate of resistance, 29.6% was detected against gentamicin. Campylobacter coli isolates showed higher resistance rate than C. jejuni isolates towards the selected antibiotics. In addition, multiple drug resistance (MDR) to at least three antibiotics was detected in the vast majority (90.7%) of the experienced isolates. Forty- three (79.6%) of the isolates had multiple antibiotic resistance index (MAR-index) 0.4 and above. Results of biotyping showed that biotype I was the predominant biotype in the two species as 70.2 and 76.5 proportions in C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively. Our results proposed that the presence of Campylobacter in poultry with greater resistance to erythromycin and/ or ciprofloxacin triggers the public health alarm and accentuates the education of consumers on the quality and safety of such foods.

Detection and molecular typing of campylobacter isolates from human and animal faeces in coastal belt of Odisha, India

Introduction

Campylobacter-mediated diarrhoea is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis globally. A majority of the Campylobacter spp. that cause disease in humans have been isolated from animals. Faecal contamination of food and water is the identified frequent cause of human campylobacteriosis.

Methodology

In the present study, faecal samples from patients with symptoms of acute diarrhoea (n = 310) and domestic animals including cows (n = 60), sheep (n = 45) and goats (n = 45) were collected from the same localities in the peri-urban Bhubaneswar city. Genomic DNA isolation followed by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing was employed to analyse Campylobacter spp.-positive samples.

Results

Of the 460 faecal samples, 16.77% of human samples and 25.33% of animal samples were found to be positive for Campylobacter spp. Among animals, the isolation rate was highest in sheep followed by cows and goats with 9.33%, 8.66% and 7.33%, respectively. The highest number of Campylobacter-positive cases was diagnosed in infants of 2-5 years age. Concurrent infection of other pathogens in addition to Campylobacter spp. was frequently detected in the samples.

Conclusion

The present study showed the incidence of Campylobacter infections in human and different animal species in and around Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The analysis suggested that domestic animals can be the potential sources for human campylobacteriosis in the region.

Prevalence of Thermophilic Campylobacter in Cattle Production at Slaughterhouse Level in France and Link Between C. jejuni Bovine Strains and Campylobacteriosis

Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in industrialized countries, with poultry reservoir as the main source of infection. Nevertheless, a recent study on source attribution showed that cattle could be a source of human contamination in France (Thépault et al., 2017). However, few data are available on thermophilic Campylobacter epidemiology in cattle in France. The aim of this study is to collect new data of thermophilic Campylobacter prevalence in these animals and to subtype C. jejuni isolates to assess the potential implication of cattle in campylobacteriosis. A 6-month survey was carried out in one of the largest European slaughterhouse of cattle. Based on a statistical representative sampling plan, 959 intestinal content samples (483 adult cattle and 476 calves) were collected. An adapted version of the ISO 10272 standard and Maldi-Tof were used for detection and speciation of thermophilic Campylobacter isolates. Within more than 2000 thermophilic Campylobacter isolates collected, a selection of 649 C. jejuni isolates was typed with Comparative Genomic Fingerprinting (CGF40) and a subset of 77 isolates was typed using Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST). Simultaneously, clinical isolates occurred in France were genotyped. Prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter in the global cattle population was 69.1% (CI_95% = 66.1, 72.1) at slaughterhouse level. In adult cattle, the prevalence was 39.3%, while 99.4% of calves were contaminated, and C. jejuni was the most prevalent species with prevalence of 37.3 and 98.5%, respectively and a higher genetic diversity in adult cattle. The prevalence of C. coli was lower with 3% in adult cattle and 12.5% in calves. MLST and CGF40 genotyping did not showed a high number of clusters within cattle isolates but the predominance of few clusters accounted for a large part of the population (CC-21, CC-61, CC-48, and CC-257). By comparison with clinical genotypes, genetic diversity was significantly lower in cattle. Moreover, significant overlap was observed between genotypes from both origins, with 3 of the 4 main cattle clusters present in human isolates. This study provides new insights on the epidemiology of thermophilic Campylobacter and C. jejuni in cattle production in France and their potential implication in human infection.

Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance against Tetracycline in Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in Cattle and Beef Meat from Selangor, Malaysia

Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen frequently associated with human bacterial gastroenteritis in the world. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter spp. in the beef food system in Malaysia. A total of 340 samples consisting of cattle feces (n = 100), beef (n = 120) from wet markets and beef (n = 120) from hypermarkets were analyzed for Campylobacter spp. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter was 17.4%, consisting of 33% in cattle fecal samples, 14.2% in raw beef from wet market and 7.5% in raw beef from the hypermarket. The multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified 55% of the strains as C. jejuni, 26% as C. coli, and 19% as other Campylobacter spp. A high percentage of Campylobacter spp. were resistant to tetracycline (76.9%) and ampicillin (69.2%), whilst low resistance was exhibited to chloramphenicol (7.6%). The MAR Index of Campylobacter isolates from this study ranged from 0.09 to 0.73. The present study indicates the potential public health risk associated with the beef food system, hence stringent surveillance, regulatory measures, and appropriate interventions are required to minimize Campylobacter contamination and prudent antibiotic usage that can ensure consumer safety.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter Isolated from Dressed Beef Carcasses and Raw Milk in Tanzania

Campylobacter species are commonly transmitted to humans through consumption of contaminated foods such as milk and meat. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic determinants of resistance of Campylobacter isolated from raw milk and beef carcasses in Tanzania. The antimicrobial resistance genes tested included blaOXA-61 (ampicillin), aph-3-1 (aminoglycoside), tet(O) (tetracycline), and cmeB (multi-drug efflux pump). The prevalence of Campylobacter was 9.5% in beef carcasses and 13.4% in raw milk, respectively. Using multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we identified 58.1% of the isolates as Campylobacter jejuni, 30.7% as Campylobacter coli, and 9.7% as other Campylobacter spp. One isolate (1.6%) was positive for both C. jejuni and C. coli specific PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion assay and the broth microdilution method showed resistance to: ampicillin (63% and 94.1%), ciprofloxacin (9.3% and 11.8%), erythromycin (53.7% and 70.6%), gentamicin (0% and 15.7%), streptomycin (35.2% and 84.3%), and tetracycline (18.5% and 17.7%), respectively. Resistance to azithromycin (42.6%), nalidixic acid (64.8%), and chloramphenicol (13%) was determined using the disk diffusion assay only, while resistance to tylosin (90.2%) was quantified using the broth microdilution method. The blaOXA-61 (52.6% and 28.1%), cmeB (26.3% and 31.3%), tet(O) (26.3% and 31.3%), and aph-3-1 (5.3% and 3.0%) were detected in C. coli and C. jejuni. These findings highlight the extent of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter occurring in important foods in Tanzania. The potential risks to consumers emphasize the need for adequate control approaches, including the prudent use of antimicrobials to minimize the spread of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter.

Prevalence, quantitative load and genetic diversity of Campylobacter spp. in dairy cattle herds in Lithuania

BACKGROUND

Campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic disease, and animals such as poultry, pigs and cattle may act as reservoirs for Campylobacter spp. Cattle shed Campylobacter spp. into the environment and they can act as a reservoir for human infection directly via contact with cattle or their faeces or indirectly by consumption of contaminated food. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, the quantitative load and the genetic strain diversity of Campylobacter spp. in dairy cattle of different age groups.

RESULTS

Faecal samples of 200 dairy cattle from three farms in the central part of Lithuania were collected and examined for Campylobacter. Cattle herds of all three farms were Campylobacter spp. positive, with a prevalence ranging from 75% (farm I), 77.5% (farm II) to 83.3% (farm III). Overall, the highest prevalence was detected in calves (86.5%) and heifers (86.2%). In contrast, the lowest Campylobacter prevalence was detectable in dairy cows (60.6%). C. jejuni, C. coli, C. lari and C. fetus subsp. fetus were identified in faecal samples of dairy cattle. C. upsaliensis was not detectable in any sample. The high counts of Campylobacter spp. were observed in faecal material of dairy cattle (average 4.5 log10 cfu/g). The highest numbers of Campylobacter spp. were found in faecal samples from calves (average 5.3 log10 cfu/g), whereas, faecal samples from cows harboured the lowest number of Campylobacter spp. (average 3.7 log10 cfu/g). Genotyping by flaA PCR-RFLP analysis of selected C. jejuni isolates showed that some genotypes were present in all farms and all age groups. However, farm or age specific genotypes were also identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies are needed to investigate risk factors related to the degree of colonisation in cattle. Based on that, possible measures to reduce the colonisation and subsequent shedding of Campylobacter in cattle could be established. It is important to further investigate the epidemiology of Campylobacter in the cattle population in order to assess associated risks to public health.