Differential Distribution of <i>Salmonella</i> Serovars and <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. Isolates in Free-Living Crows and Broiler Chickens in Aomori, Japan

Abstract

Salmonella and Campylobacter cause foodborne enteritis mainly via the consumption of raw/undercooked contaminated poultry meat and products. Broiler flocks are primarily colonized with these bacteria; however, the underlying etiology remains unclear. The present study was conducted in order to obtain further information on the prevalence and genotypic distribution of Salmonella and Campylobacter in free-living crows and broiler flocks in a region for 2 years, thereby facilitating estimations of the potential risk of transmission of C. jejuni from crows to broiler flocks. Salmonella serovars Bredeney and Derby were isolated from 8 and 3 out of 123 captured crows, respectively, both of which are not common in broiler chickens. Campylobacter were isolated from all 89 crows tested and C. jejuni was prevalent (85 crows). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis showed broad diversity in the crow isolates of C. jejuni. However, 3 crow isolates and 2 broiler isolates showing similar banding patterns were assigned to different sequence types in multi-locus sequence typing. These results indicate that crows do not share Salmonella serovars with broilers, and harbor various genotypes of C. jejuni that differ from those of broiler flocks. Thus, our results indicate that crows are not a potential vector of these bacteria to broiler flocks in this region.

Genomic Characterization of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Thermophilic Campylobacter Strains Isolated from Layer Chicken Feces in Gangneung, South Korea by Whole-Genome Sequencing

“…This suggests some host preference and adaptation in Campylobacter. A study in Japan highlighted a distant relationship between C. jejuni from wild crows and poultry, showing the possibility of divergence due to host adaptation [91]. On the contrary, C. jejuni strain 200605 clustered with CP014344 collected from humans in South Africa, which could not be justified by the current study.…”

Phylogenetic Diversity and Antimicrobial Resistance of <i>Campylobacter coli</i> from Humans and Animals in Japan

“…In wild birds, C. jejuni showed the highest prevalence, while limited numbers of C. coli and C. lari were present (24, 25, 32, 42), and 20 C. coli isolates from wild birds in South Korea were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested (25). Additionally, Okamura and co-workers demonstrated a distant phylogenetic relationship of wild crow C. jejuni with those from poultry in Japan (32). Further studies are required to confirm that C. coli strains of wild bird origin are more weakly associated with human infection than those from poultry and ruminants.…”

<i>Campylobacter</i> in an Urban Estuary: Public Health Insights from Occurrence, HeLa Cytotoxicity, and Caco-2 Attachment Cum Invasion

“…Whilst Campylobacter has been shown to survive for up to three weeks in the Yarra River estuary (70), the urbanized estuarine part of the Yarra River receives inputs from numerous stormwater drains that comprise a significant source of fecal organisms in the system (19). Furthermore, the Yarra River estuary attracts many wild birds that are common hosts of Campylobacter (1, 62).…”