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Filter culture of the patient's stool sample. Small glistening colonies were identified as Campylobacter upsaliensis and grew in 72 h (A). The characteristic Gram stain morphology for C. upsaliensis is seen in panel B. Large white creamy colonies stained as Gram-positive rods, grew in less than 24 h, are regularly seen on Campylobacter-negative cultures, and were not consistent with Campylobacter (A).
Source publication
Campylobacter upsaliensis is a zoonotic, emerging pathogen that is not readily recovered in traditional stool culture. This case represents the first
report of persistent bloody diarrhea with C. upsaliensis that was confirmed by filtration culture, PCR, and sequencing.
Citations
... Among the emerging Campylobacter pathogens, C. upsaliensis stood out, being frequently reported in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals, particularly dogs and cats, with variable prevalence rates in different sources [7][8][9][10]. Despite its prevalence, C. upsaliensis has also been sporadically isolated from patients with conditions such as bacteremia, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, spontaneous abortion, and Guillain-Barré syndrome [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Consequently, research and monitoring efforts should persist to unravel the potential of C. upsaliensis as a human pathogen. ...
Campylobacter upsaliensis was the most common Campylobacter species in pets’ gastrointestinal tracts and has been isolated from patients with bacteremia, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, spontaneous abortion, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. However, the genetic characteristics and the full extent of its significance as a human pathogen remain to be fully understood. This study involved an investigation for genomic analysis of 154 strains from different sources and additional antimicrobial resistance profiles of 26 strains for this species. The genomes contained 1,558–1,971 CDS and the genome sizes were estimated to vary from 1.53 Mb to 1.86 Mb, with an average GC content of 34.71%. The entire analyzed genomes could be divided into three clades (A, B, and C) based on ANI and phylogenomic analysis. Significantly, nearly all strains in Clade B were isolated from patient samples, and the virulence-related sequences FlgD, GmhA, and CdtC might serve as determining factors for the classification of Clade B. Half of the tested isolates had MIC values over 64 μg mL⁻¹ for nalidixic acid, gentamicin, and streptomycin. Isolates from pets in China carried more resistant elements in the genomes. This study both provided a comprehensive profile of C. upsaliensis for its genomic features and suggested some pathogenic agents for human infection with this species.
... Although C. upsaliensis is significantly less pathogenic than C. jejuni, it cannot be considered non-pathogenic (Bojanić et al., 2020). C. upsaliensis has been isolated from human blood, placental tissue, breast abscess, and stool (Couturier et al., 2012), and it was also isolated from an infected large hepatic cyst (Ohkoshi et al., 2020). Moreover, Nakamura et al. described a severe fatal infection caused by C. upsaliensis that killed a 70-year-old woman (Nakamura et al., 2015). ...
The prevalence of Campylobacter spp.in pets is a potential concern for human health. However, little is known about the pet-related Campylobacter spp. in China. A total of 325 fecal samples were collected from dogs, cats, and pet foxes. Campylobacter spp. were isolated by culture, and MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify 110 Campylobacter spp. isolates in total. C. upsaliensis (30.2%, 98/325), C. helveticus (2.5%, 8/325), and C. jejuni (1.2%, 4/325) were the three found species. In dogs and cats, the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 35.0% and 30.1%, respectively. A panel of 11 antimicrobials was used to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility by the agar dilution method. Among C. upsaliensis isolates, ciprofloxacin had the highest rate of resistance (94.9%), followed by nalidixic acid (77.6%) and streptomycin (60.2%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was found in 55.1% (54/98) of the C. upsaliensis isolates. Moreover, 100 isolates, including 88 C. upsaliensis, 8 C. helveticus, and 4 C. jejuni, had their whole genomes sequenced. By blasting the sequence against the VFDB database, virulence factors were identified. In total, 100% of C. upsaliensis isolates carried the cadF, porA, pebA, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC genes. The flaA gene was present in only 13.6% (12/88) of the isolates, while the flaB gene was absent. By analyzing the sequence against the CARD database, we found that 89.8% (79/88) of C. upsaliensis isolates had antibiotic target alteration in the gyrA gene conferring resistance to fluoroquinolone, 36.4% (32/88) had the aminoglycoside resistance gene, and 19.3% (17/88) had the tetracycline resistance gene. The phylogenetic analysis using the K-mer tree method obtained two major clades among the C. upsaliensis isolates. All eight isolates in subclade 1 possessed the gyrA gene mutation, the aminoglycoside and tetracycline resistance genes, and were phenotypically resistant to six classes of antimicrobials. It has been established that pets are a significant source of Campylobacter spp. strains and a reservoir for them. This study is the first to have documented the presence of Campylobacter spp. in pets in Shenzhen, China. In this study, C. upsaliensis of subclade 1 required additional attention due to its broad MDR phenotype and relatively high flaA gene prevalence.
... Two of the species from which two strains were isolated (Table 3), C. gracilis and C. concisus, are found in the oral cavity of humans in health and disease, e.g., periodontitis [62][63][64], so an anthropogenic contamination to the birds is possible, while C. upsaliensis has been isolated from dogs' and cats' healthy and diarrheic feces [65,66]. ...
The Campylobacter species is considered as an emerging zoonotic threat to public health. C. jejuni and C. coli are the most studied species, yet a variety of other species of the same genus were found to be the causative agents of other diseases. Chicken meat has been described as an excellent vehicle for the transmission of some Campylobacter species but most of the relevant research has been conducted in urban populations and concerned meat of industrial-grade birds. To investigate the abundance and prevalence of the Campylobacter genus in rural free-grazing chicken, quantitative and qualitative methods at 37 and at 42 °C were employed. The possible correlation of the prevalence with certain epidemiological factors (size of the flock, presence of other poultry species, presence of small ruminants, feeding concentrates, or leftovers) has been also investigated. In total, 242–249 strains (depending on the method) belonging to the following 18 different Campylobacter species have been isolated: C. coli, C. rectus, C. hominis, C. helveticus, C. upsaliensis, C. jejuni, C. avium, C. fetus, C. hepaticus., C. lari, C. sputorum, C. mucosalis, C. gracilis, C. showae, C. hyointestinalis, C. concisus, C. cuniculorum, and C. ureolyticus. The size of the flock and the presence of small ruminants in the same household were the most influential factors affecting the prevalence of most species. Campylobacter species biodiversity can be attributed to environmental, zoonotic, or anthropogenic contamination. Rural populations should be educated about the importance of self-protection measures during their contact with their poultry and the necessity to cook sufficiently the meat.
... Importantly, there have been relatively few studies about Campylobacter upsaliensis, especially in free-ranging wild mammals. This species is suspected to be an emerging human pathogen and has been isolated from domestic animals such as dogs with some frequency (Bourke et al., 1998;Man, 2011;Couturier et al., 2012). The age and storage of feces also impacts Campylobacter isolation, with fresh fecal samples significantly more likely to likely to be positive for Campylobacter spp. ...
Introduction
Campylobacter spp. infections are responsible for significant diarrheal disease burden across the globe, with prevalence thought to be increasing. Although wild avian species have been studied as reservoirs of Campylobacter spp., our understanding of the role of wild mammalian species in disease transmission and persistence is limited. Host factors influencing infection dynamics in wild mammals have been neglected, particularly life traits, and the role of these factors in zoonotic spillover risk is largely unknown.
Methods
Here, we conducted a systematic literature review, identifying mammalian species that had been tested for Campylobacter spp. infections (molecular and culture based). We used logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between the detection of Campylobacter spp. in feces and host life traits (urban association, trophic level, and sociality).
Results
Our analysis suggest that C. jejuni transmission is associated with urban living and trophic level. The probability of carriage was highest in urban-associated species (p = 0.02793) and the most informative model included trophic level. In contrast, C. coli carriage appears to be strongly influenced by sociality (p = 0.0113) with trophic level still being important. Detection of Campylobacter organisms at the genus level, however, was only associated with trophic level (p = 0.0156), highlighting the importance of this trait in exposure dynamics across host and Campylobacter pathogen systems.
Discussion
While many challenges remain in the detection and characterization of Camploybacter spp., these results suggest that host life traits may have important influence on pathogen exposure and transmission dynamics, providing a useful starting point for more directed surveillance approaches.
... An environment contaminated with Campylobacter, particularly water, can pose a possible risk for transmission to animals and humans [9] and the present study showed that Cups retained its culturability in PBS under starvation stress and an aerobic atmosphere for several weeks at 4 °C. Indeed, in a case study of Cups infection in a hiker, the source of infection was suspected to be drinking of unsterilized spring water [10]. ...
Objective
Campylobacter upsaliensis has been recognized as an emerging pathogen. However, little is known about its survival in the environment. To evaluate its survival capability, we estimated the reduction in viable counts of C. upsaliensis after aerobic exposure to starvation in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), acidity (pH = 4.3), high osmolarity (4% NaCl), and dryness in wet pulp disks at different temperatures. Also, survival in dog feces and dog food at variable temperate was assessed.
Results
Campylobacter upsaliensis remained culturable under starvation for 4 days at 25 °C and for 10 weeks at 4 °C. C. upsaliensis was also recoverable after exposure to high osmolality for 9 days, dryness for 5 days, and acidity for 2 days, respectively. Similarly, C. upsaliensis survived in dog feces and dog food for several days at 25 °C and weeks at 4 °C. The survival capability of the organism was dependent on the water content, and also temperature. Notably, the tested C. upsaliensis strain was less resilient under all tested conditions than a C. jejuni strain used as a control. The findings showed that C. upsaliensis is able to survive under various environmental stresses, suggesting that it could pose a potential threat to public health.
... Nonetheless, the new species "Candidatus Campylobacter infans" is detected at the same level as C. coli and accounts for approximately 1.6% of the fecal microbiome in exclusively breastfed infants with diarrhea and, in one extreme case, 83% of the total fecal microbiome, which suggests that "Candidatus Campylobacter infans" can be a relevant pathogen in infants. As the third most prevalent Campylobacter species in this study, C. upsaliensis has been previously reported to cause diarrhea in humans (45), and a recent study demonstrated that non-C. jejuni/C. ...
Campylobacter is the primary cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States and can lead to the development of the postinfectious autoimmune neuropathy known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Also, drug-resistant campylobacters are becoming a serious concern both locally and abroad. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), infection with Campylobacter is linked to high rates of morbidity, growth stunting, and mortality in children, and breastfeeding is important for infant nutrition, development, and protection against infectious diseases. In this study, we examined the relationship between breastfeeding and Campylobacter infection and demonstrate the increased selection for C. jejuni and C. coli strains unable to metabolize fucose. We also identify a new Campylobacter species coinfecting these infants with a high prevalence in five of the seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia examined. These findings indicate that more detailed studies are needed in LMICs to understand the Campylobacter infection process in order to devise a strategy for eliminating this pathogenic microbe.Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide and is associated with high rates of mortality and growth stunting in children inhabiting low- to middle-resource countries. To better understand the impact of breastfeeding on Campylobacter infection in infants in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, we examined fecal microbial compositions, bacterial isolates, and their carbohydrate metabolic pathways in Campylobacter-positive infants
... Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the most common species of public health or clinical importance (Man, 2011). In addition, Campylobacter upsaliensis has also emerged in humans but to a lesser extent (Lynch et al., 2011;Couturier et al., 2012). ...
... Similar studies that have searched for C. upsaliensis in Ghana and Lithuania did not detect C. upsaliensis in cattle (Ramonait_ e et al., 2013; Karikari et al., 2017). In addition to mild gastroenteritis, C. upsaliensis has been incriminated in bloody diarrhea and extraintestinal infections including bacteremia in debilitated and immunocompromised patients, spontaneous abortion, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and Guillain-Barre syndrome in humans (Bourke et al., 1998;Couturier et al., 2012). The occurrence of C. upsaliensis in the cattle may point toward the presence of a dog reservoir, which may be acting as a source of Campylobacter spp. ...
This study investigated occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter spp. isolates in beef cattle on five cow-calf operations in South Africa. A total of 537 fecal samples from adult beef cattle (n = 435) and rectal swabs from calves (n = 102) were screened for Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter upsaliensis by culture and polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, 86 Campylobacter spp. isolates including 46 C. jejuni, 24 C. coli, and 16 C. upsaliensis were tested for antimicrobial resistance against a panel of 9 antimicrobials. Overall, Campylobacter spp. was detected in 29.7% of cattle. Among the 158 Campylobacter spp.-positive cattle, 61.8% carried C. jejuni, 25% carried C. coli, and 10% carried C. upsaliensis. Five animals (3.1%) had mixed infections: three cows carried C. jejuni and C. coli concurrently, one cow had both C. jejuni and C. upsaliensis, and one cow harbored C. coli and C. upsaliensis. Antimicrobial resistance profiling among 86 Campylobacter spp. isolates revealed that 52.3% of the isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials. Antimicrobial resistance was observed in 46.7% of C. jejuni isolates, 35.6% of C. coli, and 17.8% of C. upsaliensis. Thirty-six percent of isolates were resistant to clindamycin, 19.7% to nalidixic acid, 18.6% to tetracycline, and 17.4% to erythromycin. Lower resistance rates were recorded for azithromycin (8.1%), florfenicol (3.4%), gentamicin (4.8%), and telithromycin and ciprofloxacin (5.8%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 32.5% of isolates. Significantly higher levels of MDR were detected among C. jejuni (36.9%) and C. coli (33.3%) isolates in comparison to C. upsaliensis (18.7%). Two main multiresistance patterns were detected: nalidixic acid/clindamycin (17.8%) and tetracycline/clindamycin (14.2%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which has shown that beef cattle on cow-calf operations in South Africa constitute an important reservoir and a potential source of clinically relevant and antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter spp. strains.
... C. upsaliensis is a well-known Campylobacter species that cause diarrhea in felines and canines (Steinhauserova et al., 2000). C. upsaliensis is well recognized as a clinically important emerging diarrhea pathogen in both pediatric and immunocompromised persons (Couturier et al., 2012). It is one of the emerging Campylobacter species that is associated with human infections including Crohn's disease, neonatal infection, bacteremia, abscesses, meningitis and abortion (Wilkinson et al., 2018). ...
Campylobacter species are among the leading cause of bacterial foodborne and waterborne infections. In addition, Campylobacter is one of the major causative agent of bacterial gastrointestinal infections and the rise in the incidence of Campylobacter infections have been reported worldwide. Also, the emergence of some Campylobacter species as one of the main causative agent of diarrhea and the propensity of these bacteria species to resist the actions of antimicrobial agents; position them as a serious threat to the public health. This paper reviews Campylobacter pathogenicity, infections, isolation and diagnosis, their reservoirs, transmission pathways, epidemiology of Campylobacter outbreaks, prevention and treatment option, antibiotics resistance and control of antibiotics use.
... Campylobacter upsaliensis is routinely identified within the FoodNet surveillance program of the USA [49] and frequently associated with domestic dogs [23,50,51]. Reports of human diseases include an episode of fatal sepsis and persistent diarrhea [52,53]. In-vitro studies have identified that this species is capable of producing between a 64 to 2340 times higher titer of cytolethal-distending toxin (CDT) in comparison to C. jejuni [54]. ...
Purpose of review:
To review recent findings regarding the control and treatment of campylobacteriosis.
Recent findings:
The application of improved diagnostics has led to an upward shift in the attributable burden of Campylobacter infections, in both the United States and Europe as well as in resource-poor settings. Increased focus has brought a fundamental feature of campylobacteriosis -- the ability to cause relapsing disease back into focus, and expanding data on antimicrobial resistance has lead from a switch in first-line therapy for severe diarrhea from quinolones to azithromycin in most contexts, even as evidence of expanding macrolide resistance emerges.
Summary:
Campylobacter spp. infection is a common infection worldwide. Antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter spp. has become an emerging threat with the increase in industrial poultry production, as well as the broad use of antibiotics in both animals and humans.
... Typical laboratory culture methods are optimized for C. jejuni and C. coli and are not set up to detect additional pathogenic Campylobacter species like C. lari and C. upsaliensis [10,36]. In this study, the immunoassay and molecular methods confirmed that C. upsaliensis was present in~10% of all clinically positive specimens. ...
... In this study, the immunoassay and molecular methods confirmed that C. upsaliensis was present in~10% of all clinically positive specimens. C. upsaliensis is known to be able to cause human disease [37], but its clinical importance has been recognized by only a few studies [36]. ...
Campylobacter diagnosis is hampered because many laboratories continue to use traditional stool culture, which is slow and suffers false-negative results. This large multi-site study used a composite reference method consisting of a new FDA-cleared immunoassay and four molecular techniques to compare to culture. Prospectively collected patient fecal specimens (1552) were first preliminarily categorized as positive or negative by traditional culture. All specimens were also tested by EIA, and any EIA-positive or culture-discrepant results were further characterized by 16S rRNA qPCR, eight species-specific PCR assays, bidirectional sequencing, and an FDA-cleared multiplex PCR panel. The five non-culture methods showed complete agreement on all positive and discrepant specimens which were then assigned as true-positive or true-negative specimens. Among 47 true-positive specimens, culture incorrectly identified 13 (28%) as negative, and 1 true-negative specimen as positive, for a sensitivity of 72.3%. Unexpectedly, among the true-positive specimens, 4 (8%) were the pathogenic species C. upsaliensis. Culture had a 30% false result rate compared to immunoassay and molecular methods. More accurate results lead to better diagnosis and treatment of suspected campylobacteriosis.
