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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2001, p. 2248-2254, Vol. 67, No. 5
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.5.2248-2254.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Survival of Campylobacter jejuni during Stationary Phase: Evidence for the Absence of a Phenotypic Stationary-Phase Response

Alison F. Kelly,1 Simon F. Park,2 Richard Bovill,1,dagger and Bernard M. Mackey1,*

School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6BZ,1 and School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH,2 United Kingdom

Received 21 August 2000/Accepted 7 February 2001

When Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11351 was grown microaerobically in rich medium at 39°C, entry into stationary phase was followed by a rapid decline in viable numbers to leave a residual population of 1% of the maximum number or less. Loss of viability was preceded by sublethal injury, which was seen as a loss of the ability to grow on media containing 0.1% sodium deoxycholate or 1% sodium chloride. Resistance of cells to mild heat stress (50°C) or aeration was greatest in exponential phase and declined during early stationary phase. These results show that C. jejuni does not mount the normal phenotypic stationary-phase response which results in enhanced stress resistance. This conclusion is consistent with the absence of rpoS homologues in the recently reported genome sequence of this species and their probable absence from strain NCTC 11351. During prolonged incubation of C. jejuni NCTC 11351 in stationary phase, an unusual pattern of decreasing and increasing heat resistance was observed that coincided with fluctuations in the viable count. During stationary phase of Campylobacter coli UA585, nonmotile variants and those with impaired ability to form coccoid cells were isolated at high frequency. Taken together, these observations suggest that stationary-phase cultures of campylobacters are dynamic populations and that this may be a strategy to promote survival in at least some strains. Investigation of two spontaneously arising variants (NM3 and SC4) of C. coli UA585 showed that a reduced ability to form coccoid cells did not affect survival under nongrowth conditions.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, P.O. Box 226, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6BZ, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 1189 357229. Fax: 44 1189 357222. E-mail: b.m.mackey{at}reading.ac.uk.

dagger Present address: Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke RG24 8PW, United Kingdom.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2001, p. 2248-2254, Vol. 67, No. 5
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.5.2248-2254.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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