Original scientific paper
Comparative virulence of four different Campylobacter strains in a mouse model
Darinka Vučković
orcid.org/0000-0003-1266-3891
; Department of microbiology and parasitology, School of medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Maja Abram
; Department of microbiology and parasitology, School of medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Aim: Campylobacter spp. is recognized as the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. Poultry meat is considered to be a major source of C. jejuni and C. coli. However, partly due to the lack of appropriate animal model of infection, it is still not clear whether all of food isolates are virulent and can cause disease in humans. The aim of this study was to affirm possible virulence differences of Campylobacter spp. from different origin in a previously established mouse model.
Methods: BALB/c mice were intravenously infected with four different Campylobacter strains. Three different strains of C. jejuni (two isolates recovered from diarrhoeal patients and one poultry derived isolate), and one C. coli (human clinical isolate) were tested. Infected mice were sacrificed at different time points and the number of recovered bacteria (CFU/organ) in the organ homogenates (spleen and liver) was determined.
Results: The isolates were differentially virulent for mice according to different numbers of bacteria recovered from the examined organs. The highest numbers of bacteria were recovered from livers and spleens of animals infected with food isolate of C. jejuni. C. coli showed the least virulence potential.
Conclusions: Campylobacter spp., a major human enteric pathogen, exhibits significant strain-to-strain differences in pathogenic potential in a mouse model. Mouse virulence of tested strains showed a trend toward food isolate indicating chicken meat associated risk of campylobacteriosis.
Keywords
campylobacters; clinical isolate; food isolate; mice; virulence
Hrčak ID:
31399
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2008.
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