Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis, a common Campylobacter species in reindeer

Abstract

Aims: To study the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in the faecal material of reindeer, and to identify the isolates by means of a polyphasic approach. In addition, to study the genetic diversity of Camp. hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis reindeer isolates by pulsed-®eld gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Methods and Results: The material, collected during the slaughter period in autumn 1998, comprised 399 faecal contents from the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), a semi-domesticated, meat-producing ruminant of northern Finland. These samples came from 16 herds in the areas of eight reindeer slaughterhouses. Samples were cultured by methods suitable for isolation of fastidious Campylobacter species. Of all samples, 6% (24/399) were Campylobacter-positive. Phenotypic characteristics, SDS-PAGE protein patterns, dot blot DNA±DNA hybridization, 23S rDNA restriction fragment polymorphism analysis and PFGE identi®ed the isolates as Camp. hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis. Conclusions: Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis was the only Campylobacter species isolated from reindeer in this study. The isolates showed high genomic diversity in PFGE with the restriction enzymes SmaI and KpnI. Signi®cance and Impact of the Study: PFGE analysis is a useful subtyping method for epidemiological studies. Contaminated reindeer meat can be a source for human infections.

Complete Genome Sequences of Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis Strain LMG 9260 and C. hyointestinalis subsp. lawsonii Strain LMG 15993

“…Campylobacter hyointestinalis is a nonthermotolerant campylobacter that has been isolated from cattle ( 1 – 6 ), sheep ( 3 ), pigs ( 7 ), and reindeer ( 8 ). These organisms also occasionally cause disease in humans ( 9 – 12 ).…”

The Family Campylobacteraceae

“…Shellfish, meat, and unpasteurized milk are recognized as reservoirs for these organisms (> Table 23.3, Moore et al 2006;Koziel et al 2012). C. hyointestinalis has been isolated from pigs, rusa deers, and reindeers (Hänninen et al 2002;Hill et al 1987;Gebhart et al 1985). In immunocompromised humans survival and growth at extraintestinal sites can occur (Lastovica and Allos 2008).…”

Prevalence and clonal diversity of Campylobacter jejuni from dairy farms and urban sources

“…Campylobacter spp have been isolated from the faeces of healthy cattle (Wu 2001), sheep (Stanley et al 1998), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) (Hanninen et al 2002), pigs (Weijtens et al 1993), chickens (Gibbens et al 2001) and turkeys (Fitzgerald et al 2001). Wild birds may act as an important source of C. jejuni (Cabrita et al 1992).…”