Investigation article published in Zoonoses and Public Health

November 1^st, 2015

Infections from Campylobacter jejuni pose a serious public health problem and are now considered the leading cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis throughout the world. Sequencing of C. jejuni genomes has previously allowed a number of loci to be identified, which encode virulence factors that aid survival
and pathogenicity. Recently, a Type VI secretion system (T6SS) consisting of 13 conserved genes was described in C. jejuni strains and recognised to promote pathogenicity and adaptation to the environment. In this study, we determined the presence of this T6SS in 63 Spanish C. jejuni isolates from the food chain and
urban effluents using whole-genome sequencing. Our findings demonstrated that nine (14%) strains harboured the 13 ORFs found in prototype strain C. jejuni 108. Further studies will be necessary to determine the prevalence and importance of T6SS-positive C. jejuni strains

Ugarte-Ruiz M., Stabler RA., Dominguez L., Porrero MC., Wren BW., Dorrell N. and Gundogdu O.

Prevalence of Type VI Secretion System in Spanish Campylobacter jejuni Isolates

Prevalence of Type VI Secretion System in Spanish Campylobacter jejuni Isolates

	Servicio de Zoonosis de Transmisión Alimentaria y Resistencia a Antimicrobianos (ZTA). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Department of Infectious Diseases. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). University College London (UCL).