Strain-Specific Differences in Survival of Campylobacter spp. in Naturally Contaminated Turkey Feces and Water

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are leading causes of human foodborne illness, with poultry as a major vehicle. Turkeys are frequently colonized with Campylobacter, but little is known about Campylobacter survival in turkey feces, even though fecal droppings are major vehicles for Campylobacter within-flock transmission as well as for environmental dissemination. Our objective was to examine survival of Campylobacter, including different strains, in freshly excreted feces from naturally colonized commercial turkey flocks and in suspensions of turkey feces in water from the turkey house. Fecal and water suspensions were stored at 4°C, and Campylobacter populations were enumerated on selective media at 48-h intervals. C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were characterized for resistance to a panel of antibiotics, and a subset was subtyped using multilocus sequence typing. Campylobacter was recovered from feces and water for up to 16 days. Analysis of 548 isolates (218 C. jejuni and 330 C. coli) revealed that C. jejuni survived longer than C. coli in feces (P = 0.0005), while the reverse was observed in water (P < 0.0001). Strain-specific differences in survival were noted. Multidrug-resistant C. jejuni isolates of sequence type 1839 (ST-1839) and the related ST-2935 were among the longest-surviving isolates in feces, being recovered for up to 10 to 16 days, while multidrug-resistant C. coli isolates of ST-1101 were recovered from feces for only up to 4 days. Data on Campylobacter survival upon excretion from the birds can contribute to further understanding of the transmission dynamics of this pathogen in the poultry production ecosystem. IMPORTANCE Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are leading foodborne pathogens, with poultry as a major reservoir. Due to their growth requirements, these Campylobacter spp. may be unable to replicate once excreted by their avian hosts, but their survival in feces and the environment is critical for transmission in the farm ecosystem. Reducing the prevalence of Campylobacter-positive flocks can have major impacts in controlling both contamination of poultry products and environmental dissemination of the pathogens. However, understanding the capacity of these pathogens to survive in transmission-relevant vehicles such as feces and farmhouse water remains poorly understood, and little information is available on species- and strain-associated differences in survival. Here, we employed model conditions to investigate the survival of C. jejuni and C. coli from naturally colonized turkey flocks, and with diverse genotypes and antimicrobial resistance profiles, in turkey feces and in farmhouse water.

Search for Campylobacter spp. Reveals High Prevalence and Pronounced Genetic Diversity of Arcobacter butzleri in Floodwater Samples Associated with Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, USA

“…Previous studies of turkey and swine farms in eastern North Carolina as well as wildlife and cattle in the same region, using the same culture conditions as those employed here, revealed a high prevalence of Campylobacter ; Arcobacter was not isolated from those samples, which yielded exclusively C. jejuni or C. coli ( 14 , 17 – 19 , 21 , 24 , 25 ). In the floodwater samples analyzed in the current study, Campylobacter prevalence was low (1.0%) in contrast to the overall high prevalence (73.5%) of Arcobacter .…”

“…Therefore, this team was already in place and readily poised to collect and analyze Hurricane Florence-associated floodwater samples as soon as it became logistically possible and safe to reach impacted areas. The original objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in the floodwaters and allow comparisons with genotypic data collected over several years of investigation of these zoonotic pathogens in food animals and wildlife in this region ( 14 , 17 – 25 ). However, in the course of the study, we detected numerous samples positive for Arcobacter , and therefore, we undertook the additional objective of characterizing the prevalence and genotypic diversity of Arcobacter from the hurricane-associated floodwaters.…”

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from Houseflies in Commercial Turkey Farms Are Frequently Resistant to Multiple Antimicrobials and Exhibit Pronounced Genotypic Diversity

“…The underlying reasons remain to be elucidated, and may reflect regional differences in the C. jejuni and C. coli strains colonizing turkey flocks. Regional influences were also suggested in the study of strains from Italy [ 39 ], as well as by our findings with C. jejuni ST-1839, which appears to be predominant in turkeys in North Carolina according to the current study and previously [ 34 , 35 , 46 ], while not encountered in isolates from turkey farms in Ohio [ 45 ]. In fact, of the 22 STs detected in the turkey farms in Ohio [ 45 ], only three—the C. coli STs 889 and 1017, and the C. jejuni ST-2934—were shared with those in our study, and none of the STs in the current study were shared with those from the turkey farms in Italy [ 39 ].…”

Metaphenotypes associated with recurrent genomic lineages of Campylobacter jejuni responsible for human infections in Luxembourg

“…The AMR pattern of C. jejuni influences its survival by providing an improved biological fitness. Good et al (2019) demonstrated that multi-drug resistant C. jejuni strains were among the longest surviving isolates to antibiotherapy ( Luo et al, 2005 ; González and Hänninen, 2012 ; Good et al, 2019 ). Furthermore, the ability of FQ-resistant strains to persist in the environment (e.g., in poultry production), after the removal of the selective pressure, was also demonstrated ( Price et al, 2007 ).…”