Campylobacter

Characteristics of Campylobacter Discovered by Theodor Escherich in 1886 Campylobacteraceae family Gram negative curved rod, up to 5-8 mm in length Microaerobic; some require high H2 Non-spore-forming Highly motile (corkscrew motility) Highly susceptible to killing ~800,000 cases (3rd) Surface lipooligosaccharides (LOS) Poorly understood Image from Wikipedia

Nomenclature of Campylobacter Campylobacteraceae Campylobacter (17 species) Arcobacter (6 species) Sulfurospirillum (6 species) C. jejuni subsp. jejuni and C. coli of most concern

Growth and survival characteristics Why is this a pathogen again? Temperature range for growth and survival Thermotolerant (C. jejuni), mesophilic (C. fetus) D55C ~2.5-6.5 min, D60C < 1 min pH range Oxygen sensitive (especially at low cell densities) Survival outside host is temperature dependent

Growth and survival characteristics Survival outside of the host C. jejuni Pasteurized milk (25d/4C, 3d/25C) Stream water (1-4 weeks/4C, 4d/25C) Sensitive to oxygen Grows in atmospheric conditions only in high cell densities Catalases/superoxide dismutases Very tricky to work with in the lab Transport back to the lab

Serotyping Lior method (1982) Penner method (1980) Antisera to formaldehyde killed Campylobacter At least 21 different Lior groups Penner method (1980) Antibodies developed to the LOS layer At least 23 different Penner types Heat stable, given “HS” designation (ie. HS:1, HS:2) Can be used as first step of characterization during an outbreak investigation

Isolation rate (all Campylobacter) Species/source Average % positive Chicken 33-53% Turkey 56% Duck, goose, pheasant 32% Cattle 45% Swine 27% Sheep, lamb, goats 33% Seafood 16% http://news.psu.edu/story/281316/2013/07/11/research/whole-chickens-farmers-markets-may-have-more-pathogenic-bacteria Miller and Mandrell, 2005

Reservoirs Species Reservoir Frequency among Campy Human disease Animal disease C. jejuni subsp. jejuni Cattle, birds, pets Common (77%) diarrhea, GBS, RA diarrhea, abortion C. coli Pigs, birds, poultry, cats Common (11%) diarrhea C. upsaliensis Domestic pets, poultry Uncommon (4.5%) C. consisus Humans Uncommon (1.4%) periodontal C.fetus subsp. fetus Cattle, sheep Uncommon (0.6%) abortion, systemic illness abortion C. lari Birds, dogs Uncommon (0.2%) diarrhea, urinary tract C. hydrointestinalis Cattle, pigs, deer Uncommon (0.1%) enteritis

Seasonality

Disease About 80% believed to be foodborne 3rd most common bacterial cause (~800,000 cases) Infectious dose ~500-1000 cfu Mostly sporadic (vs. outbreak) Incubation period “Generic” disease Malaise, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea Self-limiting May continue to shed organisms up to 2-3 weeks However….

Severe complications Guillain-Barre syndrome Reactive arthritis Rare, ~100-1000 cases Ascending paralysis (most cases)  muscle weakness/pain  difficulty walking  vision/speech Autoimmune disease LOS HS:19 (especially) antigenically related to GM1 and GD1a (component of motor neurons) No known cure, only alleviation of symptoms; lifetime disease More common in men and women between 30-50 Reactive arthritis Swelling of joints, urethra, eyes More common in teenagers and men under 40 No known cure; lifetime disease

Outbreaks http://wwwn.cdc.gov/foodborneoutbreaks/Default. aspx# http://www.marlerclark.com/news_events See Outbreak Database at bottom of website http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/food-litigation/

Control On farm Good sanitary practices; minimize spread among animals and birds

Control (Recommendations of FSIS) On farm Good sanitary practices; minimize spread among animals and birds Plant Minimize cross-contamination Pasteurize Individual Recognize prevalence Clean (hands, cutting boards, etc), separate, cook, chill (pretty much universal)

On the horizon: Arcobacter More recently recognized, emerging foodborne pathogen Related but different from Campylobacter A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus most common A. butzleri is 4th most common “Campylobacter-like” disease (3.5% of cases); A. cryaerophilus isolated about 0.5% of cases Disease Lots of unknowns