title: A national investigation of the prevalence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species in agricultural watersheds in Canada.
abstract: The occurrence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species (C. jejuni, coli, and lari) were studied in water samples from four river basins located across Canada. These basins located in Quebec (Bras d'Henri), Alberta (Oldman), Ontario (South Nation), and British Columbia (Sumas) represented some of the most intensive farming areas in Canada for hog, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and poultry, respectively. This study analyzed 769 water samples collected from 23 monitoring sites with agricultural influence, and four reference sites with limited or no agricultural influence. Water samples were collected bi-weekly over two years and analyzed for Campylobacter using a semi-quantitative minimum probable number (MPN) enrichment protocol. Putative isolates were confirmed by genus- and species-specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. A total of 377 (49%) water samples were positive for campylobacters with 355 samples having a cell density ranging from 4 to 4000 MPN L(-1). Campylobacters were more common at agricultural than reference sites in each river basin, although this difference was not significant in the Oldman and South Nation (p > 0.05). Campylobacter was significantly more common in the Bras d'Henri and Sumas (63%) compared to the South Nation (45%) and Oldman (33%) River basins (p < 0.05). C. jejuni, C. coli and C. lari were detected in each river basin, and these species occurred in 45% (n = 168), 34% (n = 128) and 19% (n = 73), of all Campylobacter positive samples, respectively. The remaining Campylobacter positive water samples without these three species (n = 67; 18%) were identified as other Campylobacter species. C. jejuni was the predominant species occurring in the Sumas, Oldman and South Nation River basins. However, in the Bras d'Henri River basin with intensive hog production, C. coli was the predominant species. This study found campylobacters to be common in some agricultural systems with intensive livestock farming activities, and different river basins could have strikingly different profiles of either C. jejuni or C. coli as the predominant waterborne thermophilic Campylobacter species.
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division (WHERD), Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW), Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7R 4A6, Ontario, Canada; Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Ave. Ottawa, K1A 0C6 Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: izhar.khan@agr.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Izhar U H
authors.initials: IU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Vic
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gannon
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Farm Irrigation Water Division, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Cassandra C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.affiliation: National Water Quality Monitoring, Water Science and Technology, Environment Canada, Gatineau, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.affiliation: Alberta Environment, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Wendell
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.affiliation: Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Ave. Ottawa, K1A 0C6 Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lapen
authors.affiliation: Water, and Air Quality Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Norman F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: National Water Quality Monitoring, Water Science and Technology, Environment Canada, Gatineau, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schreier
authors.affiliation: Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Topp
authors.affiliation: Soils and Crop Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Bochove
authors.affiliation: Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Ave. Ottawa, K1A 0C6 Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilkes
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division (WHERD), Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW), Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7R 4A6, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Edge
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D017000:Campylobacter coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044863:Campylobacter lari / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002170:Canada; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Agricultural water; Campylobacter coli; Campylobacter jejuni; Campylobacter lari; Prevalence; Thermophilic campylobacters