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Title: Colonization of broilers by Campylobacter jejuni internalized within Acanthamoeba castellanii

Author
item SNELLING, W - U OF ULSTER, N IRELAND
item Stern, Norman
item LOWERY, C - U OF ULSTER, N IRELAND
item MOORE, J - N. I. PUBLIC HEALTH
item GIBBONS, EMMA - U OF ULSTER, N IRELAND
item CIARA, BAKER - U OF ULSTER, N IRELAND
item DOOLEY, J - U OF ULSTER, N IRELAND

Submitted to: Archives of Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2007
Publication Date: 8/31/2007
Citation: Snelling, W.J., Stern, N.J., Lowery, C.J., Moore, J.3., Gibbons, E., Ciara, B., Dooley, J.S. 2007. Colonization of broilers by Campylobacter jejuni internalized within Acanthamoeba castellanii. Archives Of Microbiology. DOI 10.107/s00203-007-0303-0.

Interpretive Summary: s human health concern and is responsible for approximately 2 million cases of bacterial gastroenteritis each year within the United States. The CDC suggests that poultry is associated with about half of these cases. We wanted to explain whether protozoa/water-borne transmission was possible and whether this environmental source might explain at least a portion of broiler infection with C. jejuni. We internalized Campylobacter within a protozoa and then fed this to broiler chicks. We demonstrated that this “trojan horse” means of infection was a plausible manner to infect chickens even after the drinking water was chlorinated. Further studies are required to determine whether this route of infection plays a significant role in commercially reared broilers.

Technical Abstract: We present the first report that Campylobacter jejuni, internalized within Acanthamoeba castellanii, colonized broilers. After 1, 3, 7 and 14 days post challenge none of the broilers challenged with negative controls were colonized, but were with internalized C. jejuni. The biology of protozoa-Campylobacter interactions urgently needs to be examined further.