Abstract
Worldwide, Campylobacter is a significant cause of gastrointestinal illness. It is predominately considered a foodborne pathogen, with human exposure via non-food transmission routes generally overlooked. Current literature has been exploring environmental reservoirs of campylobacteriosis including potential wildlife reservoirs. Given the close proximity between lizards and human habitats in Central Australia, this study examined the presence of Campylobacter jejuni from lizard faeces collected from this region. Of the 51 samples collected, 17 (33%) (this included 14/46 (30%) wild and 3/5 (60%) captive lizard samples) were positive for C. jejuni using quantitative PCR (qPCR). This was the first study to investigate the presence of C. jejuni in Australian lizards. This has public health implications regarding the risk of campylobacteriosis from handling of pet reptiles and through cross-contamination or contact with wild lizard faeces. Additionally this has implication for horizontal transmission via lizards of C. jejuni to food production farms. Further research is needed on this environmental reservoir and potential transmission routes to reduce the risk to public health.
Highlights
Campylobacter jejuni is a pathogen of significant public health concern [1,2,3]
Campylobacteriosis is typically considered a foodborne illness; increasingly research is demonstrating the importance of environmental reservoirs
Jejuni from wild and captive lizard faeces collected across Central Australia
Summary
Campylobacter jejuni is a pathogen of significant public health concern [1,2,3]. It is one of the main causative agents of campylobacteriosis, which worldwide is a common gastrointestinal disease [2,4,5].Campylobacteriosis is generally self-limiting; more severe cases may require medical attention and infection has been linked to other complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome, reactive arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome [2]. Campylobacteriosis is considered a foodborne illness; there has been increasing evidence to suggest that environmental reservoirs may play a significant role in disease transmission [3,4,5]. Wildlife are considered both potential infectious reservoirs and a source or mechanism enabling cross-contamination of surface waters and other environments such as poultry and produce farms [10,11,12]
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