The isolation and nature of campylobacters (microaerophilic vibrios) from laboratory and wild rodents.

Faeces voided by eight species of laboratory or feral rodents were cultured for campylobacters by means of selective methods. Campylobacters were isolated from bank voles and from rats, but not from rabbits, laboratory mice, hamsters, guinea-pigs, field mice or field voles. In routine biochemical tests isolates from bank voles resembled a type of Campylobacter fetus that causes infectious infertility in cattle; isolates from rats resembled Campylobacter coli associated with swine dysentery. Electrophoretograms of acid plus phenol soluble proteins revealed striking differences between isolates from rodents, C. fetus and C coli. It is concluded that campylobacters are more widespread in rodents than hitherto realised, and that routine methods for differentiating campylobacters do not allow an adequate correlation with pathogenicity or habitat.