Aerobic growth and survival of Campylobacter jejuni in food and stream water.
When 40 Campylobacter jejuni isolates from human clinical cases, raw chicken and water were tested, 29 (72.5%) could be adapted to grow on nutrient agar under aerobic conditions. Once adapted, these isolates could grow on repeated aerobic subculture. An aerobically-grown Camp. jejuni isolate survived almost as well as the same isolate grown microaerophilically in sterile chicken mince at 5 degrees C, and survival of a cocktail of Camp. jejuni isolates under both atmospheres was comparable at 25 degrees C. However, at 37 degrees C, the decline in numbers of the aerobically-grown cells was greater. Survival of cells on chicken nuggets was poorer than in chicken mince. In filter-sterilized stream water incubated aerobically at 5 degrees C, survival of inocula grown under different atmospheres was again similar, but slightly better with the microaerophically-grown cells. Adaptation to aerobic growth was not found to enhance survival under aerobic conditions.
Chynoweth
R W
RW
ESR Ltd, Christchurch Science Centre, New Zealand.
Hudson
J A
JA
Thom
K
K
D000332:Aerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000254:growth & development*; D002645:Chickens; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D014871:Water Microbiology