The role of environmental reservoirs in Campylobacter-mediated Infection

Campylobacteriosis is a food-borne infection caused mainly by Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli). Thermophilic campylobacters are considered the foremost causative agents of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and campylobacteriosis represents an important public health problem with numerous socio-economic impacts. Since 2015, approximately 230,000 cases have been reported annually in Europe (Hansson et al. 2018). C. jejuni and C. coli colonize the digestive tract of multiple animal reservoirs such as birds, sheep, cattle, and pigs, with chicken considered as the main source of human infection in many countries. Yet, epidemiological information regarding the role of other putative disease reservoirs, such as wildlife and environment (e.g. soil and water), in disease transmission is limited.