Browsing by Author "Culebro, Alejandra"

Campylobacteriosis, the most common bacterial food-borne disease worldwide, is mainly caused by Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli. Most studies have focused on the genetic diversity of C. jejuni, but little is known about C. coli. The aim of this work was to characterize C. coli from different sources, by evaluating the distribution and/or diversity of certain genetic markers. A total of 145 C. coli isolates from different sources (2 goose, 18 poultry, 35 human and 90 swine) were screened for fucP, ggt, cytC, sialyltransferases genes and CRISPRs. Additionally, the diversity of the LOS loci and of the CRISPRs, were assessed. A frequency of 90.34% was observed for fucP and CRISPRs among C. coli. Conversely, the frequency of GGT phenotype, and cytC, and cst-I genotype was 1.38%, while cst-V genotype was 0.69%. Only one isolate was positive for all markers except fucP; no source association was observed. LOS and CRISPRs exhibited a wide diversity. In conclusion, ggt, fucP, and cytC seem to be lineage related in C. coli, and not host associated. CRISPRs were too discriminatory to be of use in epidemiological investigations. Results suggest a high diversity of the LOS, and there may exist more classes than those previously described.