Prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in domestic pets and wild birds in Kaunas and diversity

Wild birds and pets play an important role in the epidemilogy of Campylobacter spp. Therefore this study was aimed to examine occurrence of Campyloabcter spp. in wild birds, cats and dogs and to determine species diversity. Within one year period individual faecal samples of crows, doves, cats and dogs were collected for examination. Doves and crows droppings were collected twice in a week in parks and squares in Kaunas. Cats and dogs faecal samples were at Leonas Kriaučeliūnas small animal clinic. In total 360 individual samples were collected for further examination and from these 246 were from wild birds and 96 from domestic animals. Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. were isolated by direct plating on mCCDA selective agar and after enrichment in Bolton broth. Presumptive campulobacters colonies were purified and late identified by multiplex-PCR method up to species level. The study results showed that thermophilic Campylobacter spp. is widely prevalent in wild birds samples. Faecel samples of doves and crows were more frequently contaminated with C.jejuni – 83,33%, much infrequently with C.coli -3,2 %, both campylobacters species were found in 6,25 % of tested samples. Besides 7,29 % isolates from faecal samples of wild birds samples were other campylobacters species then C. jejuni or C. coli. tribe. Identified parted campylobacter sorts from domestic animals C.jejuni was determined 25 %, C.coli – 37, 5 % and it was not determined campylobacter sorts 37, 5 %. Campylobacters were found in 8,57 % of cats and 8,2 % of dogs faecel samples, respectively. Out of three contaminated cats samples C. coli was found in 2 samples and in the third sample other species then C. jejuni or C. coli. Dogs faeces were contaminated with C. jejuni (two samples), C. coli (one sample) and in the last two samples other then C. jejuni or C. coli species. The study revealed that doves and crows in the city are more often contaminated with Campylobacter spp. than dogs or cats. Based on the study results we can speculate that, that in parks, where people and especially kids are feeding wild birds and play in the area contaminated with these birds faeces, it is possibility to get infection through unwashed hands or other transmission routes if hygiene rules are not strictly followed