"Campylobacter upsaliensis" isolated from cats as identified by DNA relatedness and biochemical features

Campylobacter spp. were isolated from the feces of 20 (58%) of 53 asymptomatic cats during routine physical examination while the cats were maintained in an accredited quarantine facility. Fifteen of these Campylobacter spp. were identified phenotypically as Campylobacter jejuni, and two were identified as C. coli. DNA-DNA hybridization (hydroxyapatite method) was used to confirm the identification of three thermotolerant catalase-negative isolates. They were 80 to 100% related to each other and to the type strain of "C. upsaliensis" in reassociation reactions under optimal conditions and a stringent hybridization criterion. These strains were 75 to 100% interrelated and less than 12% related to type strains of other Campylobacter species. These strains represent the first reported feline isolate of "C. upsaliensis" and show that cats used in biomedical research can harbor this and other Campylobacter species.