Prevalence of Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter, and Sutterella spp.in human fecal samples as estimated by a reevaluation of isolation methodsfor Campylobacters

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of campylobacteri a including Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacte r coli in human clinical samples and in samples from healthy individuals an d to reevaluate the efficacies of conventional selective methods for isolat ion of Campylobacter spp. Two charcoal-based selective media, modified char coal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA) and cefoperazone-amphotericin-t eicoplanin (CAT) agar, were compared with Skirrow's blood-based medium and with a filter method (filter) applied to a yeast-enriched blood agar. A tot al of 1,376 specimens were tested on all four media, and the percentages of thermophilic Campylobacter-positive specimens isolated on Skirrow's medium , filters, CAT agar, and mCCDA were 82, 83, 85, and 95%, respectively. When additional samples were professed with the three selective media, mCCDA re covered significantly more thermophilic Campylobacter spp. than Skirrow's m edium (P = 0.0034). No significant difference between Skirrow's medium and CAT agar was observed in this study. Another six taxa were identified, name ly, Campylobacter concisus, Campylobacter curvus-like bacteria, Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, Helicobacter cinaedi, and Sutterella wa dsworthensis. Most of these strains were isolated after 5 to 6 days of incu bation by use of the filter technique. This paper pro,ides evidence for the existence of S. wadsworthensis in human feces from clinical cases of gastr ointestinal disorders and in feces from a healthy individual. Furthermore, C. concisus was isolated from a large number of diarrheal cases, particular ly those at the extremes of age, but was additionally isolated from the fec es of healthy people. Further investigations to establish the role of C. co ncisus and S. wadsworthensis in enteric disease is needed. We conclude that a range of campylobacteria may cause infections in Denmark.