title: Protozoan Acanthamoeba polyphaga as a potential reservoir for Campylobacter jejuni.
abstract: We showed by a laboratory experiment that four different Campylobacter jejuni strains are able to infect the protozoan Acanthamoeba polyphaga. C. jejuni cells survived for longer periods when cocultured with amoebae than when grown in culture alone. The infecting C. jejuni cells aggregated in amoebic vacuoles, in which they were seen to be actively moving. Furthermore, a resuscitation of bacterial cultures that were previously negative in culturability tests was observed after reinoculation into fresh amoeba cultures. After spontaneous rupture of the amoebae, C. jejuni could be detected by microscopy and culturability tests. Our results indicate that amoebae may serve as a nonvertebrate reservoir for C. jejuni in the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kalmar County Hospital, Kalmar, Sweden.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Axelsson-Olsson
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waldenström
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Broman
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holmberg
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003470:Culture Media; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media