Use of auxotyping for epidemiological studies of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli infections

Abstract

A chemically defined medium developed for Neisseria gonorrhoeae was modified to support the growth of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. A total of 76 isolates of C. jejuni and 14 isolates of C. coli were tested on this medium, which was designated Campylobacter defined medium (CDM), over a 3-month period. Although none of the C. coli isolates appeared to require amino acids, 51% of the C. jejuni tested required one and 7% required multiple amino acids for growth. An analysis of isolates obtained from 3 household outbreaks of campylobacteriosis demonstrated that auxotyping identified the epidemic strain within each outbreak. Among 70 isolates of C. jejuni examined, no correlation could be drawn between a specific serotype and auxotype or between auxotype and plasmid profile.