SUBTYPES OF CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI FROM SPORADIC CASES OF DIARRHEAL DISEASE AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN ENGLAND ARE HIGHLY DIVERSE

Serotyping (heat stable antigens) was performed on 398 strains of Camp ylobacter jejuni from faeces of human enteritis cases in England. Stra ins isolated over 12 months at three locations were heterogeneous with 33 HS serotypes represented. HS1 and HS4 complex were the predominant types (34% of all strains). The monthly strain frequency distribution s were similar at the three locations. The late spring peak appeared t o be associated with a rise in miscellaneous serotypes rather than wit h the emergence of any characteristic predominant serotype. PFGE DNA r estriction profiling provided evidence of a high degree of genomic div ersity within the common HS1 and HS4 complex serotypes, irrespective o f the geographical source, yet some subtypes were common to more than one location. The study showed that C. jejuni strain subtypes from hum an enteric infections in England were highly diverse, and that HS sero typing must be combined with a more discriminatory subtyping method su ch as PFGE DNA profiling to provide an accurate basis for epidemiologi cal surveillance.