Strain-Specific Differences in Survival of Campylobacter spp. in Naturally Contaminated Turkey Feces and Water

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are leading foodborne pathogens, with poultry as a major reservoir. Due to their growth requirements, these Campylobacter spp. may be unable to replicate once excreted by their avian hosts, but their survival in feces and the environment is critical for transmission in the farm ecosystem. Reducing the prevalence of Campylobacter -positive flocks can have major impacts in controlling both contamination of poultry products and environmental dissemination of the pathogens. However, understanding the capacity of these pathogens to survive in transmission-relevant vehicles such as feces and farmhouse water remains poorly understood, and little information is available on species- and strain-associated differences in survival. Here, we employed model conditions to investigate the survival of C. jejuni and C. coli from naturally colonized turkey flocks, and with diverse genotypes and antimicrobial resistance profiles, in turkey feces and in farmhouse water.