Helicobacter pullorum in chickens, Belgium.
A total of 110 broilers from 11 flocks were tested for Helicobacter pullorum by polymerase chain reaction; positive samples were reexamined with a conventional isolation method. H. pullorum isolates were examined by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting for interstrain genetic diversity and relatedness. Sixteen isolates from cecal samples from 2 different flocks were obtained. AFLP analysis showed that these isolates and 4 additional isolates from a different flock clustered according to their origin, which indicates that H. pullorum colonization may occur with a single strain that disseminates throughout the flock. Strains isolated from different hosts or geographic sources displayed a distinctive pattern. H. pullorum is present in approximately one third of live chickens in Belgium and may represent a risk to human health.
Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. liesbeth.ceelen@UGent.be
Liesbeth M
LM
Ceelen
Annemie
A
Decostere
Kathleen
K
Van den Bulck
Stephen L W
SL
On
Margo
M
Baele
Richard
R
Ducatelle
Freddy
F
Haesebrouck
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011200:Poultry / Q000382:microbiology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology