INCIDENCE OF CAMPYLOBACTER IN STOOLS OF DIARRHEIC AND NON-DIARRHEIC DOGS

Two hundred and four stools of 102 diarrheic (0 - 12 months of age) and 102 non-diarrheic dogs coming from kennel and ambulatory, respectively, were assayed for the presence of Campylobacter. From the diarrheic group, 46% of the samples yelded positive Campylobacter isolation mainly found in young animals until 5 months of age (72%), whereas those with age ranging from 6 - 12 months showed either a lower frequence of the organisms (28%) and a trend of the younger animals to be more charged than the older. 47 Campylobacter strains isolated from the diarrheic group were: C. jejuni biotype1 (49%); C. jejuni biotyp2 (11%); C. jejuni/coli (19%); C. coli (8,5%); Campylobacter NARTC group (8,5%) and C. sputoruns (4%). In the non-diarrheic group, 27 (28%) Campylobacter strains were classified as: C. jejuni biotype1 (34%) and biotype2 (28%); C. jejuni/coli (24%) and C. coli (14%). According the biochemical tests, the 1% glycine tolerance test was not taking in account for the differentiation of C. jejuni because 45% of the strains failed in showing characteristic and 3 strains did not reduce the sodium selenite. The biochemical studies also showed phenotipical cross reactions between two Campylobacter NARTC-group strains with the C. jejuni strains, as well as two thermophilic species grew also at 25-degrees-C. All the 76 isolates were sensitive to gentamicin, nitrofurantoin and neomycin and resistant to oxacillin and penicillin. Furthermore, for the remaining 16 drugs the populational resistance ranged from 8% to 73% of strains. The presence of Campylobacter in dogs as well their close contact which man makes possible the occurrence of infections as also confirm the campylobacteriosis as an important zoonosis.