Survival and recovery characteristics of Arcobacter butzleri in groundwater microcosms

Arcobacter butzleri may be an etiological agent of gastroenteritis. However, relatively little is known about the persistence and ecology of this genus, particularly in groundwater. In laboratory studies it was determined that the survival of A. butzleri in groundwater can exceed that of the traditional indicator organism, Escherichia coli. An inverse relationship between survival and water temperature was observed for both organisms, but the persistence of A. butzleri exceeded that of E. coli at 5, 15, and 25°C. Selective media for the isolation of Arcobacter spp., while sensitive enough to recover stressed cells, proved ineffective at reducing background flora. Only a 10-fold reduction in indigenous microflora was observed. Efforts were made to detect A. butzleri from environmental sources comparing cultural and molecular methods. Cultural methods using selective media proved inferior to molecular methods. Molecular detection also had limitations, though. Selective enrichment and nucleic acid purification may resolve these limitations