100A-5 |
Correlation of genomic changes with polymorphism of Campylobacter jejuni |
H. WANG, C. Gilbert, and M. F. Slavik. Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Poultry Sceince Center, O-320, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Campylobacter jejuni is one of the leading causes of human bacterial gastroenteritis. The pathogenicity of C. jejuni is due to its virulence factors. Previous research has shown that variation in pathogenicity of C. jejuni may be associated with its polymorphism. The spiral form of C. jejuni proved to be more highly pathogenic than the coccoid cells of the same culture. The objective of this research was to investigate the possibility of genomic changes associated with the polymorphism in C. jejuni using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Campylobacter jejuni isolated from pre-chill, post-chill, and retail chicken carcasses and human stool samples of enteritis patients were cultured on Campylobacter enrichment agar for 18 hours (spiral form) and 72 hours (coccoid form) under microaerobic condition at 42 °C. All isolates were gram negative, hippurate positive, possessed corkscrew-like motility under the microscope, and confirmed C. jejuni positive using polymerase chain reaction. The isolates then were embedded in agarose plugs and the DNA was analyzed by PFGE (CHEF-DR III system) after digestion using Sma I and Sac II restriction endonucleases. After an ethidium bromide staining, the DNA patterns were analyzed using the molecular analyst software (BIO-RAD). The molecular fingerprint of each isolate in the spiral form was compared to the fingerprint of the same isolate in the coccoid form. No genomic alteration associated with polymorphism could be identified. Both forms of C. jejuni isolate showed 100% band pattern similarity following Sma I or Sac II digestion. It is concluded that the polymorphism of C. jejuni is not associated with genetic modification.
Session 100A, Food Microbiology: General II
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