Search

Campylobacter spp. represent a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans, with C. jejuni and C. coli considered responsible for the majority of clinical cases. Many human diagnostic laboratories use the ProSpecT® Campylobacter Microplate Assay (EIA) as a sole or screening test for detection of C. jejuni and C. coli, as this technique is easier, faster and cheaper than Campylobacter spp. culture. Campylobacter upsaliensis can cause a diarrhoeal illness similar to that caused by C. jejuni in humans, but methods routinely used for C. jejuni and C. coli detection, including the EIA, are not optimised or have not been evaluated for the detection of other Campylobacter species. Campylobacter upsaliensis and C. helveticus have been more commonly isolated from dogs and cats than C. jejuni and C. coli in most studies. Campylobacter spp. from pets are potentially zoonotic, while the pathogenicity in pets remains uncertain. The significance of C. upsaliensis and C. helveticus infections may be underestimated in human medicine due to detection methods applied. The aim of this pilot study was to assess if the EIA detects C. upsaliensis and C. helveticus isolated from different pets in spiked human clinical samples. In addition, the ability of EIA to detect Campylobacter spp. in dog and cat faeces was assessed. Ten clinical human faecal samples and two healthy dog and cat faeces confirmed negative by EIA were tested by a range of culture methods to exclude presence of Campylobacter spp. Dilutions of eight C. upsaliensis, five C. helveticus cultures, and one C. jejuni and C. coli culture, all PCR confirmed, were added to aliquots of faecal samples to obtain a range of viable bacteria from 103 to 108 CFU/ml. EIA was performed in duplicates following the manufacturer's instructions. Fifty out of 82 samples tested positive by EIA at various dilutions: 33/52 C. upsaliensis, 15/26 C. helveticus, 1/2 of each C. jejuni and C. coli. Detection limit varied between the isolates and was lower in watery than semi-solid faeces. In conclusion, EIA detected C. upsaliensis and C. helveticus in spiked faeces from human clinical cases and all Campylobacter spp. tested in healthy pets. EIA should not be used as a sole detection method and culture methods selected following a positive EIA result should enable detection of a wide range of Campylobacter spp. In addition, EIA may be a useful test in pets to rule out Campylobacter spp. infection and in epidemiological investigations.