Review of the Food-borne Zoonoses Research ... - ARCHIVE: Defra

to elucidate the antigenic repertoire of this bacterium at one antigen locus, will provide an
accurate, comprehensive, and portable typing system for C. jejuni and related organisms,
with a firm theoretical basis in bacterial population biology.
OZ0611
Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial infectious intestinal disease in the
UK. Although various risk factors for infection, including consumption of undercooked
poultry or unpasteurised milk have been identified, the epidemiology of this disease
remains poorly understood. This is because (i) outbreaks are rarely detected, hence
valuable information on sources and transmission routes which is obtained from outbreak
investigations is generally lacking, and (ii) Campylobacter genomes are genetically
diverse, and unstable, with frequent inter and intragenomic recombination, together with
phase variation, which complicates the interpretation of data from many typing methods.
However, a suitable typing techniqe is multilocus sequence typing (MLST). MLST for
Campylobacter jejuni, together with a comprehensive internet accessible MLST database
(http://pubmlst.org/campylobacter/) was developed with DEFRA support (contract
number: OZ0604). MLST offers advantages over previous typing techniques including
100% typeability, reproducibility, and the straightforward sharing of data via the internet.
The Campylobacter MLST database now contains 4434 isolates (29 th May 2007) and
provides a resource for the scientific, public health, and veterinary communities as well
as the food industry. Database submissions are received from laboratories
internationally. The database is curated to ensure quality control, and additional MLST
schemes and databases have been set up for other Campylobacter species including C.
coli, C. fetus and C. lari. If it is to continue, and undergo further expansion, this program
of work will require continued support.
Review Summary
The work performed in OZ0604 and OZ0611 has been of fundamental importance in
developing and applying a robust molecular typing method to Campylobacter. Adoption
of MLST for Campylobacter at an international level demonstrates the strength of the
work performed.
As OZ0611 comes to an end and further work is considered, it is important that the MLST
database is populated with campylobacters of public health importance. In addition, when
selecting environmental isolates, quantity, source, geographical, and temporal factors
must all be taken into account to ensure the database is not biased. The database must
then be interrogated to identify sources of human infection and therefore where
interventions will have the greatest impact.
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