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Title: Protozoa: a novel Campylobacter reservoir?

Author
item SNELLING, WILLIAM - UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
item LOWERY, COLM - UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
item MOORE, JOHN - BELFAST CITY HOSPITAL
item Stern, Norman
item DOOLEY, JAMES - UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER

Submitted to: Campylobacter Helicobacter and Related Organisms International Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/6/2007
Publication Date: 9/3/2007
Citation: Snelling, W.J., Lowery, C.J., Moore, J.E., Stern, N.J., Dooley, J.S. 2007. Protozoa: a novel Campylobacter reservoir? Campylobacter Helicobacter and Related Organisms International Workshop. P 120, #P372.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In previous in vitro studies we found that Campylobacter jejuni remained viable for longer periods of time when they were cultivated in the presence of Tetrahymena pyriformis (ciliate) and Acanthamoeba castellanii (amoeba) than when they were in an independent planktonic state. Increased survival times of up to 36h were noted. Campylobacter internalized within protozoa were also significantly more resistant to iodine disinfection than planktonic organisms. We have also detected both C. jejuni and a variety of protozoa in the water supplies of intensively reared broilers. During this small survey, we found that broilers were only colonized with C. jejuni if it was also present in their drinking water. These results indicated the potential importance of broiler drinking water as a source of C. jejuni, where C. jejuni would likely interact with larger protozoa. We set out to examine whether Campylobacter that have survived an encounter with protozoa were still capable of infecting poultry. Our preliminary co-culture studies found that internalization within A. castellanii provided significant chlorination protection to C. jejuni NCTC 11168, at dilutions which killed planktonic C. jejuni. These co-culture disinfection studies formed the foundation of our trial to test if internalized C. jejuni NCTC 11168 colonized broilers. Five groups of 30-day chicks were placed into separate isolation units. Two of the units served as negative controls and birds were challenged with; (1) Page’s amoeba Saline Solution (PAS) incubated for 3 hours at 25ºC, and, (2) Disinfected and neutralised planktonic C. jejuni which had also been incubated for 3 hours at 25ºC. Two of the units served as positive controls and birds were challenged with; (3) ‘normal’ C. jejuni positive control, and, (4) C. jejuni NCTC 11168 in PAS incubated for 3 h at 25ºC. The fifth unit of birds was challenged with internalized C. jejuni NCTC 11168, within A. castellani. Internalized C. jejuni were obtained by chlorinating, neutralizing and rinsing co-cultures with excess PAS. After 1, 3, 7 and 14 days post challenge, 7 birds from each unit were sacrificed and cecal contents were plated directly onto Campy-Cefex agar (detection limit 100 cfu/gm). For the first time, we report that internalized C. jejuni NCTC 11168 (within A. castellanii), colonised broilers. None of the birds challenged with the negative controls were colonized and birds were colonized after challenge with both of the positive controls. The biology of protozoa-Campylobacter interactions should be studied to our understanding of these systems.