title: Fecal shedding of Campylobacter and Arcobacter spp. in dairy cattle.
abstract: Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Arcobacter spp. were detected in feces of healthy dairy cows by highly specific multiplex-PCR assays. For C. jejuni, at this one-time sampling, cows from 80.6% of farm operations (n = 31) and 37.7% of individual dairy cattle fecal samples (n = 2,085) were positive. Farm management factors were correlated with prevalence in herds in which >25% of cows were positive for C. jejuni. Statistical significance was set at a P of 0.20. Using these criteria, application of manure with broadcast spreaders (P = 0.17), feeding of whole cottonseed or hulls (P = 0.17) or alfalfa (P = 0.15), and accessibility of feed to birds (P = 0.17) were identified as possible risk factors for C. jejuni infection. C. coli was detected in at least one animal in 19.4% of operations and 1.8% of individual cows (n = 2,085). At the herd level, use of broadcaster spreaders was not a risk factor for C. coli infection. For Arcobacter, cows from 71% of dairy operations (n = 31) and 14.3% of individual dairy cattle fecal samples (n = 1,682) were positive. At the herd level, for Arcobacter spp., feeding of alfalfa (P = 0.11) and use of individual waterers (P = 0.19) were protective. This is the first description of Arcobacter spp. in clinically healthy dairy cattle and the first attempt to correlate their presence with C. jejuni.
authors.affiliation: Pre-Harvest Food Safety and Enteric Diseases Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA. iwesley@nadc.ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Wesley
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Harmon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schroeder-Tucker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Siddique
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D020640:Arcobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001717:Birds; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology*; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D003612:Dairying; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D008372:Manure; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D014481:United States; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D008372:Manure