Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus from sheep abortions in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
To type Campylobacter isolates from sheep abortions from the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand.


METHODS
Campylobacter isolates were collected from aborted sheep fetuses from commercial farms in the Hawke's Bay region. Information on the Campylobacter vaccination status of flocks in the study was collected. Isolates were identified to species level using standard phenotypic tests, then typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).


RESULTS
Eighty-one C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates were cultured from aborted sheep fetuses from 25 farms and four C. jejuni isolates were cultured from fetuses from three farms. The C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates were classified into six PFGE groups. A single pulsed-field type predominated amongst isolates from 19 of the 25 farms. The C. jejuni isolates comprised two types.


CONCLUSIONS
A range of C. fetus subsp. fetus PFGE types was identified, and one type, B1, was found most frequently. Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus was only isolated from samples from sheep that had not been vaccinated with C. fetus subsp. fetus vaccine that season.
Mannering
S A
SA
Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Marchant
R M
RM
Middelberg
A
A
Perkins
N R
NR
West
D M
DM
Fenwick
S G
SG