THE SPECIATION AND SUBTYPING OF CAMPYLOBACTER ISOLATES FROM SEWAGE PLANTS AND WASTE-WATER FROM A CONNECTED POULTRY ABATTOIR USING MOLECULARTECHNIQUES

In this study the distribution of phenotypes of campylobacter strains in sen age and surface waters was investigated by subtyping and by spe ciation of isolates from various aquatic environments. These environme nts included two municipal sewage plants (SPA and SPB) and waste water from a poultry abattoir (WWA). Both the sewage plants SPA and SPB col lected domestic and industrial waste, and SPA received drain water fro m WWA. SPB received no waste water from any meat-processing plant. The isolates were speciated by PCR and subtyped by PCR/RFLP based on the flagellin PCR products. From all three reservoirs, no Campylobacter la ri was isolated, and approximately 80% of the isolates could be identi fied as C. jejuni and the rest belonged to the C. coli species. The PC R/RFLP typing technique has a high discrimination level and was reprod ucible between two sepal ate laboratories. The 182 isolates tested yie lded 22 distinct Dde I profiles. The results indicate that strains wit h profiles found in poultry are also detectable in waste water presume d to be solely fr om domestic and human sources. In addition some stra ins were unique to the known poultry-related sources, suggesting that avian-specific strains; non-pathogenic to man, may exist in the enviro nment. In contrast some strains were unique to human waste indicating the potential importance of non-poultry sources of infection. No seaso nality was observed in the profile distribution. So, at least in the N etherlands, it is unlikely that infections caused by contaminated surf ace waters contribute to the seasonality of human campylobacteriosis.