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Culture Methods to Determine the Limit of Detection and Survival in Transport Media of Campylobacter Jejuni in Human Fecal Specimens
Published on: March 10, 2020
Coinfection with Campylobacter species: an epidemiological problem?
J F Richardson1, J A Frost, J M Kramer
1Campylobacter Reference Unit, Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, UK. jrichardson@phls.org.uk
Journal of Applied Microbiology
|July 28, 2001
Summary
Coinfection with multiple Campylobacter strains occurs in sporadic human cases. This finding is crucial for investigating outbreaks involving distinct strains from patients and potential sources.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Genetics
Background:
- Campylobacter infections are a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide.
- Understanding strain diversity is essential for accurate diagnosis and public health surveillance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency of coinfection with multiple Campylobacter strains in sporadic human infections.
- To characterize the identified strains using molecular and phenotypic methods.
Main Methods:
- Culturing and isolation of Campylobacter from fecal samples.
- Serotyping, phage typing, antibiotic resistance profiling.
- Molecular typing including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and flagellin gene typing.
Main Results:
- Most patients were infected with a single Campylobacter strain.
- Coinfection with two distinct Campylobacter jejuni strains was identified in 7.5% of samples.
- One patient was infected with Campylobacter coli, while others had Campylobacter jejuni.
Conclusions:
- Coinfection with multiple Campylobacter strains is a documented occurrence in sporadic campylobacteriosis.
- These findings have significant implications for epidemiological investigations of Campylobacter outbreaks.
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