Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni strains occurring in the USSR and the Czech Republic

In 1986-1989 the microbiological laboratory in Prague obtained 100 Campylobacter jejuni strains while its counterpart in Moscow gained 120 such strains. The strains were primarily isolated from humans with diarrheal disease, from domestic and wild animals and from the environment. Most C. jejuni strains were successfully specified and classified using a Czechoslovak serotyping scheme proposed by Kahlich. Serotypes 1, 2, 7, 15, 22 and 24 occurred most frequently in the Czech Republic whereas in the Soviet Union the most common serotypes were 7, 16, 5, 2, 1. The proportion of strains which could not be identified in the serotyping scheme was about 10% in the USSR and 20% in the Czech Republic. Our findings suggest differences between the USSR and the Czech Republic in the prevalence and incidence particular serotypes of C. jejuni strains.