The Science of the Total Environment 17lt199.5) 101-106 A survey on Campylobacter and Yersinia spp. occurrence in sea and river waters in Northern Greece M. Arvanitidou* , T.C. Constantinidis, Vas. Katsouyannopoulos Laboratory of Hygiene, Medical School, Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54006, Greece Received 21 December 1993; revision received 15 June 1994; accepted 17 January 1995 Abstract Four strainsof Campylobacter jejuni and seven strains of Yersinia intermedia were isolated from 200 samples from three bathing areas which complied with the EC directive concerning the standard valuesfor total coliforms, faecal coliformsand faecal streptococciduring the bathing season from May to October 1990. In the same period sevenC. jejuni &five Y intermedia strainswere isolatedfrom 41 samples from three rivers which did not meet the criteria for the imperative values of the indicator bacteria setby the EC directive. The geometric meanof total coliforms was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the Campylobacter-positive than the negative seasamples. Yersinia-positive and -negativeseasamples differed in the geometric means (P < 0.05) of faecal coliforms. Keywords: Marine/river survey; Campylobacter;Yersinia; Northern Greece;EC directive; Bathing area 1. Introduction The epidemiology of Campylobacter and Yersinia infections has not been completely eluci- dated, but it increasingly appears that either wa- ter intended for drinking or recreational water may be a significant environmental reservoir. It has also become apparent that there is a vast animal reservoir of CampyZobacter and Yersinia strains, and that transmission occurs by the fae- Cal-oral route. Food and water are the vehicles most often incriminated during outbreaks (Schie- mann, 1990; Skirrow, 1990). * Corresponding author. Since 1977, when Skirrow described simple methods for Campylobacter jejuni isolation, Campylobacter enteritis has been recognised as a major cause of acute enteritis all over the world (Skirrow, 1977). Mode of spread in sporadic cases has not yet been fully understood, although raw and undercooked poultry or contaminated milk are likely sources. Large outbreaks have also been described where polluted water was the source. Campylobacter jejuni probably occurs commonly in surface waters since many domestic animals and waterfowls have been shown to shed this pathogen in their faeces. Moreover, any water contaminated with human wastes has the poten- tial to contain C. jejuni which has been reported to remain viable in water for up to 5 weeks. 004%9697/95/$09.50 0 1995 Elsevier Science BV. All rights reserved. SSDI 0048-9697(95)04668-Q