Further characterization of Campylobacter isolated from U.S. dairy cows

The objective of the present study was to compare polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification with ribotype results and to use pulsed field electrophoresis (PFGE) to correlate genotypic patterns with antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter isolated from lactating dairy cows in the United States. Thirty isolates were studied. Twenty-seven of the isolates were identified by PCR as Campylobacter jejuni and three were identified as Campylobacter coli. Genotypic patterns of 15 isolates were determined by PFGE, and although isolates originated from geographically separated regions of the United States, some were genotypically identical. In contrast to their genetic similarity, antibiotic sensitivity patterns differed within some genotypes. Under the conditions of our study, we concluded that ribotyping is not as discriminatory as PCR for speciation, and that a phenotypic trait such as antimicrobial resistance cannot always be predicted within the same genotype.