Campylobacter coli pulsed field gel electrophoresis genotypic diversity among sows and piglets in a farrowing barn.

Genotypes of Campylobacter coli isolates from feces of three sows and rectal swabs of 17 piglets were examined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). All of the animals originated from a single farrowing barn of a farrow-to-finish swine operation. Five Campylobacter colonies were picked from a single agar plate for each sample after broth enrichment and growth on Campy-Cefex agar. Genotypes were examined by PFGE after genomic DNA digestion with SmaI and SacII restriction endonucleases. Twenty SmaI genotypes and 12 SacII genotypes were detected among 99 Campylobacter coli isolates. There was no pattern of shared genotypes between sows and their respective piglets, nor between littermates. Results indicate that a high number of Campylobacter genotypes may coexist in related pigs from a single housing facility.