Comparison of Campylobacter jejuni pulsotypes isolated from humans and poultry in Split and Dalmatia County, Croatia
Kovačić, A.; Carev, M.; Tripković, I.; Srečec, Sša.; Siško-Kraljević, K.
International Journal of Environmental Health Research 25(1): 10-20
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 0960-3123 PMID: 24624966 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2014.893565
Accession: 052226062
Consumption of poultry is considered to be an important source of human infection with Campylobacter. In the period from 2008 to 2010, 50 isolates of Campylobacter jejuni from human faeces were analysed and compared with 61 isolates from poultry by pulsed field gel electrophoresis using SmaI and KpnI. Based on the analysis of SmaI macrorestriction profiles, 86 isolates (77.5 %) were assigned to 15 S clusters: 31 (62 %) from humans and 55 from poultry (90.2 %). Altogether 21 isolates (19 %) exhibited macrorestriction profiles common to both humans and poultry after restriction with SmaI and KpnI. A total of five identical pulsotypes were isolated from both poultry and patients and one of them appeared in eight different locations in the time interval of one year. These results indicate that poultry could be an important source of Campylobacter infection in Split and Dalmatia County which is the biggest County in Croatia and the most important tourist destination.