title: Campylobacter insulaenigrae isolates from northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) in California.
abstract: There are only two reports in the literature demonstrating the presence of Campylobacter spp. in marine mammals. One report describes the isolation of a new species, Campylobacter insulaenigrae sp. nov., from three harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in Scotland, and the other describes the isolation of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari, and an unknown Campylobacter species from northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) in California. In this study, 72 presumptive C. lari and unknown Campylobacter species strains were characterized using standard phenotypic methods, 16S rRNA PCR, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Phenotypic characterization of these isolates showed them to be variable in their ability to grow either at 42 degrees C or on agar containing 1% glycine and in their sensitivity to nalidixic acid and cephalothin. Based on both 16S rRNA PCR and MLST, all but 1 of the 72 isolates were C. insulaenigrae, with one isolate being similar to but distinct from both Campylobacter upsaliensis and Campylobacter helveticus. Phylogenetic analysis identified two C. insulaenigrae clades: the primary clade, containing exclusively California strains, and a secondary clade, containing some California strains and all of the original Scottish strains. This study demonstrates the inability of phenotypic characterization to correctly identify all Campylobacter species and emphasizes the importance of molecular characterization via 16S rRNA sequence analysis or MLST for the identification of Campylobacter isolates from marine mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, The Marine Mammal Center, Marin Headlands, 1065 Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA. stoddardr@tmmc.org
authors.forename: Robyn A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Frances M D
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gulland
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Byrne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002140:California; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D002512:Cephalothin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009268:Nalidixic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D009268:Nalidixic Acid; D002512:Cephalothin; D005998:Glycine