PREVALENCE OF CAMPYLOBACTER IN PIGS DURING FATTENING - AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY

Numerous epidemiological reports implicate foods of animal origin as v ehicles of human campylobacteriosis. Pigs are probably an important re servoir of campylobacter and a potential source of human infection. In order to improve our knowledge of the epidemiology of campylobacter i n pigs, the prevalence of campylobacter and its contamination of feed were monitored in eight pig farms. Faeces samples of pigs aged 11 and 22 weeks, and samples of rectal, ileal and gastric content at a slaugh terhouse were collected for bacteriological examination. On 5 farms, s ubsequent groups of pigs housed in the same stalls was sampled, too. A selection of the campylobacter isolates was characterized with a gene tic typing method (RFLP). More than 85% of the sampled porkers were sh own to be intestinal carriers of campylobacter at all stages of fatten ing. Subsequent groups of pigs housed in the same stalls were all carr iers, too. The level of campylobacters in the faeces tended to decreas e as the pigs got older. There was no difference in the frequency and level of infection with campylobacter between porkers on different far ms. The feeding system (wet feed versus dry pellets) did not seem to i nfluence the prevalence of campylobacter although wet feed gave lower counts of Enterobacteriaceae in the faeces. RFLP-typing showed a high diversity of campylobacter strains at each sampling on the farm. Simil arities were seen between strains isolated during two subsequent sampl ings of the same group of pigs, but not between strains isolated on th e same farm from subsequent groups of pigs housed in the same stall. T his suggests that the piglets were already infected at a young age on the breeding farm