Strain persistence and fluctuation of multiple-antibiotic resistant Campylobacter coli colonizing turkeys over successive production cycles.
The dynamics of colonization of turkeys by thermophilic campylobacters that are resistant to multiple antibiotics is poorly understood. In this study, we monitored cecal colonization of turkeys by Campylobacter over three successive production cycles at the same farm. Campylobacter isolated from the ceca was predominantly C. coli in all three flocks. Isolates with two distinct fla types that represented a single clonal group based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and that were resistant to multiple antibiotics (tetracycline, streptomycin, ampicillin, erythromycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, and ciprofloxacin) predominated throughout the three production cycles. The relative prevalence of each fla type, however, varied significantly from one flock to the next. The repeated isolation of these multiresistant C. coli from successive flocks likely reflected persistence of the organisms in currently unknown reservoirs in the production environment or, alternatively, repeated introduction events followed by establishment of these bacteria in each successive flock.
Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-2764, USA.
Bong Choon
BC
Lee
Nancy
N
Reimers
H John
HJ
Barnes
Carol
C
D'Lima
Donna
D
Carver
Sophia
S
Kathariou
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D017000:Campylobacter coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D014422:Turkeys / Q000382:microbiology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial