Abstract:
Objective To investigate the status quo of
Campylobacter spp. infection in Shanghai and study its molecular characteristics and virulence and toxin genes.
Methods Stool samples collected from diarrheal patients were cultured for bacterial pathogens using membrane filter method. The strains were identified by biochemical tests and PCR. PCR was applied to detect six virulence and toxin genes including
flaA,cdtA,cdtB,cdtC,virB11,
cadF. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was carried out for subtyping.
Results A total of 43
Campylobacter spp. (1.9%) were collected from 2 235 stool samples in Shanghai in 2014 including 41
Campylobacter jejuni isolates(95.3%) and 2
Campylobacter coli isolates(4.7%). The data showed 100.0% (43/43) of the isolates were positive for
flaA and
cadF, and 93.0% (40/43) of the isolates positive for
cdtA and
cdtB. And 88.4% (38/43) of the isolates were positive for
cdtC. Only 7.0% (3/43) of the isolates were positive for
virB11. Using PFGE,
43 Campylobacter jejuni and
Campylobacter coli strains were subtyped into 6 clusters.
Conclusion The genes of
flaA and
cadF are ubiquitous on Campylobacter spp. isolates. The distribution of
cdt gene cluster in
Campylobacter spp. is high, while that of
virB11 is low. The PFGE types of
Campylobacter spp. isolated in Shanghai are of diversified and complicated features, which causes mainly sporatic diarrhea.