Extended phage-typing scheme for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Epidemiology
• Food Safety

Background:

• Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide.
• Accurate ব্যাকটেরিয়াল strain identification is crucial for tracking outbreaks and understanding transmission routes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and validate an extended phage-typing scheme for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.
• To characterize the phage type distribution and prevalence in isolates from diverse geographical locations and sources.

Main Methods:

• A panel of 19 typing phages was used to establish 46 distinct phage types.
• 754 Campylobacter isolates (672 C. jejuni, 82 C. coli) from human and non-human sources across 17 countries were phage-typed.
• Statistical analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of different phage types and their associations.

Main Results:

• The extended scheme successfully phage-typed 80.6% of the 754 isolates.
• Nine phage types accounted for 57.0% of typable strains, with phage type 11 being most common in C. jejuni and type 44 in C. coli.
• Animal sources, particularly cattle and poultry, were identified as common sources of human infection.
• Geographical variations in phage type diversity were observed, with Canada showing the highest variety.

Conclusions:

• The developed phage-typing scheme is effective for differentiating Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains.
• Phage typing remains a valuable tool for epidemiological surveillance of Campylobacter infections, aiding in source tracking and outbreak investigations.
• Understanding phage type distribution and host associations is key to controlling Campylobacter transmission.