Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in Dairy Cattle Farms of Quebec, Canada

Introduction:  Although consumption of poultry meat is recognized as a major source for human campylobacteriosis, the origin of infection remains unknown in many cases. New and emerging reservoirs of Campylobacter, like cattle, are now being considered in the epidemiology of this disease. Currently, very little data on the prevalence of Campylobacterin dairy herds are available in the province of Quebec.

Purpose:  The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of Campylobacterin Quebec dairy herds.

Methods:  Forty farms were visited once during the summer of 2011. A total of 800 fecal samples were collected from all farms by sampling twenty lactating cows per herd (one sample per cow). Water provided to animals, milk from bulk tank and fecal matters from replacement animals’ pens were also analyzed for the presence of Campylobacter. The bacterial identification was performed by PCR, targeting the 16S rRNA gene, from isolated colonies. Information regarding farm management was collected using a short survey.

Results:  In total, 29 farms were found positive for Campylobacter spp. with C. hyointestinalis being the most prevalent species (68%). C. jejuni was found in 20 farms and accounted for 24% of the total Campylobacter species isolated from lactating cows. Among herds found Campylobacter negative in all lactating cows, feces from replacement animals were also found to be Campylobacter negative 85% of the time. No Campylobacter were recovered from water or milk samples. Among the farm management practices evaluated, hand-feeding of the animals was associated with the presence of C. jejuni on farms (P = 0.00812).

Significance:  This study is the first one to report the presence of Campylobacter in dairy cattle herds of Quebec, a province where dairy production is very important. Identification of other reservoirs of Campylobacter may be useful for understanding the ecology of Campylobacter.