Isolation, identification and in vitro sensitivity profile of Campylobacterfetus isolated

Abstract

Samples (61) of vaginal mucus, foetal membranes and foetal stomach contents from the cases of aborted cattle and buffaloes were processed for the isolation and identification of C. fetus. Seven (11.47%) isolates of C. fetus were isolated and out of these I was Cfetus subsp venerealis and 6 C.fetus subspfetus on the basis ofgrowth in 1% glycine. Maximum number of Cfetus (18.51 %) isolations in cattle and in buffaloes (5.88%) were obtained from animals in the age group of4-6 years aborted in 4-5 months ofgestation. In cattle campylobacteriosis was maximum among crossbred cows (30.0%) whereas in buffaloes it was maximum (6.66%) in mixed breeds. Antibiotic sensitivity revealed that C. fetus was 100% sensitive to gentamicin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, 85.7% to tetracycline and chloramphenicol, 71.42% to streptomycin, cotrimoxazole and cephalothin, 42.85% to neomycin ~nd 14.28% to nalidixic acid. The isolates were resistant to penicillin, amoxyciIlin, ampicillin and cephalexin. Indirect FAT was used for identification of C.fetus. The antiserum was raised in rabbits against the C. fetus subsp. venerealis isolate confirmed by PCR. Out of 51 samples of foetal stomach contents and foetal membranes processed for identification by indirect FAT, 9 (17.65%) were positive for C.fetus whereas 6 isolates were obtained by isolation. Out of9 samples positive for C.fetus 3 were positive by FAT as well as by isolation whereas 6 were positive only by FAT. All the 7 isolates of C. fetus were positive by FAT. Out of 7 isolates of C. fetus, only 2 isolates were positi\~e by PCR whereas the other 5 isolates were negative for PCR.