Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is the causal agent of the food-borne infection with the highest incidence in Europe. Both poultry and wild birds are a major reservoir. To gain insight into the population structure, virulence potential, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a collection of 150 isolates from three different ecological niches (broilers, wild birds, and human patients) was studied. Despite the high genetic diversity found, the population structure defined two distinct clusters, one formed mostly by broiler and human isolates and another one by most wild bird isolates. The ST-21 complex exhibits highest prevalence (in humans and broilers), followed by ST-1275 complex (only in wild birds). The ST-48, -45, and -354 complexes were found in all three niches, but represent only 22 out of 150 studied strains. A higher occurrence of AMR and multidrug resistance was detected among broiler and human isolates. Moreover, significant differences were found in the distribution of certain putative virulence genes. Remarkably, many wild bird strains were negative for either cdtA, cdtB, or cdtC from the canonical strain 81-176, whereas all broiler and human strains were positive. These data suggest that the different variants of the cdt genes might be relevant for the efficient colonization of certain hosts by C. jejuni. Our study contributes to the understanding of the role of the diverse Campylobacter reservoirs in the transmission of campylobacteriosis to humans.
Highlights
In the last decade, there has been an increase in the incidence of campylobacteriosis worldwide, which is especially significant in North America, Europe, and Australia (Cody et al, 2012; Harvala et al, 2016)
A collection of 150 C. jejuni isolates recovered from fecal samples from different ecological niches [50 isolates/each: human patients suffering gastroenteritis (H), broilers (B), and wild birds (W)] have been the focus of the study
In our Campylobacter population, the sequence types (STs)-45, ST-48, and ST-354 were present in all three niches; the ST-21 complex was the predominant in human and the ST-1275 complex in wild birds, while in broilers different complexes: ST-21, ST-257, ST-353, and ST607 were present
Summary
There has been an increase in the incidence of campylobacteriosis worldwide, which is especially significant in North America, Europe, and Australia (Cody et al, 2012; Harvala et al, 2016). This zoonosis is of economic and public health concern (Havelaar et al, 2015). Campylobacter jejuni followed by C. coli are responsible for the vast majority of infections which lead to diarrhea and a range of other serious conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract, especially in children under 5 years old (Eberle and Kiess, 2012; Kaakoush et al, 2015). Campylobacter can be isolated from poultry retail meat, untreated water, unpasteurized milk, and soil (Workman et al, 2005; Engberg, 2006)
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