Multilocus sequence typing for comparison of veterinary and human isolates of Campylobacter jejuni.
Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been applied to 266 Campylobacter jejuni isolates, mainly from veterinary sources, including cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs, pets, and the environment, as well as isolates from human cases of campylobacteriosis. The populations of veterinary and human isolates overlap, suggesting that most veterinary sources should be considered reservoirs of pathogenic campylobacters. There were some associations between source and sequence type complex, indicating that host or source adaptation may exist. The pig isolates formed a distinct group by MLST and may well represent a potential pig-adapted clone of C. jejuni. A subset (n = 82) of isolates was reanalyzed with a second MLST scheme which provided a unique set of isolates that had been analyzed at a total of 12 loci. The distribution of isolates among the complexes in each of the two schemes was similar but not identical. In addition to isolates from human outbreaks, one group of isolates that were not epidemiologically linked was also identical at all 12 loci. This group of isolates is believed to represent another stable strain of C. jejuni.
Manning
Georgina
G
Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
Dowson
Christopher G
CG
Bagnall
Mary C
MC
Ahmed
If H
IH
West
Malcolm
M
Newell
Diane G
DG
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000662:veterinary; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens; D006801:Humans; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology