ORIGINAL ARTICLE Comparison of Campylobacter jejuni genotypes from dairy cattle and human sources from the Matamata-Piako District of New Zealand B.J. Gilpin 1 , B. Thorrold 2 , P. Scholes 1 , R.D. Longhurst 3 , M. Devane 1 , C. Nicol 4 , S. Walker 4 , B. Robson 1 and M. Savill 1 1 ESR Ltd., Christchurch Science Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand 2 Dexcell Ltd, Dexcel Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand 3 AgResearch Ltd, Ruakura Agricultural Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand 4 ESR Ltd., Kenepuru Science Centre, Porirua, New Zealand Introduction Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported noti- fiable enteric disease of humans in New Zealand. There were 15 873 cases notified in 2006, a rate of 383Æ5 cases per 100 000 population (ESR 2007). Over the last 10 years, the notified rate in New Zealand has almost doubled, and is significantly higher than other similarly developed countries (Baker et al. 2007), with an economic cost to New Zealand which has been estimated to exceed NZ$75 million every year (Scott et al. 2000). Most noti- fied campylobacteriosis cases are caused by Campylobacter jejuni, with up to 10% of cases caused by Campylobacter coli. Symptoms include bloody or watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and headache. The intestinal tract of many warm-blooded animals has been identified as a major reservoir for C. jejuni (Moore et al. 2005). Campylobacter jejuni has been iso- lated from the faeces of a range of animals in New Zealand including chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, sheep, and dairy and beef cattle (Hudson et al. 1999; Devane et al. 2005). Transmission to humans from these animal sources presumably occurs either through direct contact with animal faeces or via contaminated food or water. Keywords campylobacter, dairy, PFGE, zoonoses. Correspondence Brent Gilpin, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, PO Box 29-181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand. E-mail: brent.gilpin@esr.cri.nz 2007 ⁄ 1536: received 19 September 2007, revised 13 February 2008 and accepted 29 March 2008 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2008.03863.x Abstract Aims: To identify the prevalence and types of Campylobacter jejuni carried by dairy cattle and the extent of overlap of these types with those causing disease in humans. Methods and Results: Faecal samples from 410 dairy cattle were collected from 36 farms in the Matamata-Piako district in New Zealand. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated on all 36 farms, with a prevalence of 51% (95% CI 45–57) in dairy cattle and 65% (95% CI 58–72) in calves. Eighty-nine of these isolates were typed using Penner serotyping and pulsed field gel electrophoresis and were compared with 58 human C. jejuni isolates from people resident within this study area. Conclusions: Campylobacter jejuni were found in the faeces of over half of the dairy cows and calves examined. Twenty-one per cent of the bovine isolates and 43% of the human isolates formed indistinguishable clusters of at least one bovine and one human isolate. Significance and Impact of the Study: While a direct link between bovine iso- lates and human cases was not demonstrated, the finding of indistinguishable genotypes among C. jejuni isolates from bovine and human sources confirms that dairy cows and calves are a potential source of human campylobacteriosis. Barriers to separate bovine faecal material from the general public are therefore important public health measures. Journal of Applied Microbiology ISSN 1364-5072 1354 Journal compilation ª 2008 The Society for Applied Microbiology, Journal of Applied Microbiology 105 (2008) 1354–1360 ª 2008 The Authors