AUTHOR=Lye Dennis , Struewing Ian , Gruber Theresa M. , Oshima Kevin , Villegas Eric N. , Lu Jingrang 

TITLE=A Gallus gallus Model for Determining Infectivity of Zoonotic Campylobacter

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02292

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.02292

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>To better understand public health implications of waterfowl as reservoirs for zoonotic sources of <italic>Campylobacter</italic> in recreational waters, we developed a <italic>Gallus gallus</italic> (chick) model of infection to assess the pathogenicity of environmental isolates of <italic>Campylobacter</italic>. This method involved exposure of 1-day-old chicks through ingestion of water, the natural route of infection. Viable <italic>Campylobacter</italic> from laboratory-infected animals were monitored by using a modified non-invasive sampling of fresh chick excreta followed by a passive polycarbonate-filter migration culture assay. The method was used to evaluate the infectivities of three laboratory strains of <italic>Campylobacter</italic> spp. (<italic>Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni</italic>, and <italic>Campylobacter lari</italic>), three clinical isolates of <italic>C. jejuni</italic>, and four environmental <italic>Campylobacter</italic> spp. isolated from California gulls (<italic>Larus californicus</italic>). The results revealed that chicks were successfully infected with all laboratory and clinical isolates of <italic>Campylobacter</italic> spp. through ingestion of <italic>Campylobacter</italic>-spiked water, with infection rates ranging from &lt;10 to &gt;90% in a dose-dependent manner. More importantly, exposure of chicks with <italic>Campylobacter</italic> spp. isolated from <italic>Gallus gallus</italic> excreta also resulted in successful establishment of infection (≤90%). Each monitored <italic>Campylobacter</italic> spp. contained ≥7.5 × 10<sup>4</sup> CFU⋅g<sup>–1</sup> of feces 7 days post-exposure. These results suggest that a <italic>G. gallus</italic> model can be used to assess infectivity of <italic>Campylobacter</italic> isolates, including gull and human clinical isolates. Use of an avian animal model can be applied to assess the importance of birds, such as the <italic>G. gallus</italic>, as potential contributors of waterborne-associated outbreaks of campylobacteriosis.</p>