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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2008, p. 5130-5138, Vol. 74, No. 16
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02198-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni Populations in Dairy Cattle, Wildlife, and the Environment in a Farmland Area{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Patrick S. L. Kwan,1 Mishele Barrigas,6 Frederick J. Bolton,2 Nigel P. French,5 Peter Gowland,6 Richard Kemp,3 Howard Leatherbarrow,3 Mathew Upton,1 and Andrew J. Fox2,4*

Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Manchester, Clinical Sciences Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom,1 Health Protection Agency North West Laboratory, Clinical Sciences Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester M13 9WZ, United Kingdom,2 Epidemiology Group, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Neston CH64 7TE, United Kingdom,3 FEMS North West, Royal Preston Hospital, Sharoe Green Lane, Preston PR2 9HG, United Kingdom,4 Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand,5 Biological Sciences, University of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom6

Received 26 September 2007/ Accepted 8 June 2008

We describe a cross-sectional study of the molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni in a dairy farmland environment, with the aim of elucidating the dynamics of horizontal transmission of C. jejuni genotypes among sources in the area. A collection of 327 C. jejuni isolates from cattle, wildlife, and environmental sources in a 100-km2 area of farmland in northwest England was characterized by multilocus sequence typing. A total of 91 sequence types and 18 clonal complexes were identified. Clonal complexes ST-21, ST-45, and ST-61, which have been frequently associated with human disease, were the most commonly recovered genotypes in this study. In addition, widely distributed genotypes as well as potentially host-associated genotypes have been identified, which suggests that both restricted and interconnecting pathways of transmission may be operating in the dairy farmland environment. In particular, the ST-61 complex and the ST-21 complex were significantly associated with cattle. In contrast, complex strains ST-45, ST-952, and ST-677 were isolated predominantly from wild birds, wild rabbits, and environmental water. A considerable number of novel sequence types have also been identified, which were unassigned to existing clonal complexes and were frequently isolated from wildlife and environmental sources. The segregated distribution of genotypes among samples from different sources suggests that their transmission to humans is perhaps via independent routes. Insight into the dynamics and interactions of C. jejuni populations between important animal reservoirs and their surrounding environment would improve the identification of sources of Campylobacter infection and the design of control strategies.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Molecular Epidemiology, Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership, P.O. Box 209, Clinical Sciences Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WZ, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 161 276 5689. Fax: 44 161 276 5744. E-mail: andrew.fox{at}hpa.org.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 27 June 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2008, p. 5130-5138, Vol. 74, No. 16
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02198-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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