Detection of Jeotgalicoccus spp. in poultry house air.

Investigations of bioaerosols collected from turkey, chicken and duck houses, as well as from a duck slaughterhouse, each in triplicate, revealed that 4-18% of 16S rRNA gene sequences in investigated 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were closely related to Jeotgalicoccus spp. J. halotolerans- and J. psychrophilus-related sequences were obtained in all investigated bioaerosol samples and formed a distinct group with sequences of both species type strains, which were collectively entitled Jeot-cluster-I. For a quantification of Jeot-cluster-I bacteria, a group specific PCR primer combination targeting the 16S rRNA genes was developed. Estimated concentrations by quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed cell numbers between 10(4) and 10(6)Jeotgalicoccus cellsm(-3) air in turkey, duck, and chicken houses, respectively. These results indicated the remarkable proportion (1-39%) of total cell counts and the hitherto unknown wide distribution of Jeotgalicoccus spp. in the poultry rearing industry.