Experimental colonization of mice with Campylobacter jejuni.

The ability of one human and two chicken strains of Campylobacter jejuni to colonise and survive in three different strains of laboratory mice (NMRI, CBA and C57-Black) was studied. Mice were inoculated orally with Campylobacter jejuni and faeces samples were cultured at regular intervals during the following months. The length of colonisation of mice differed between mouse strains but also between Campylobacter strains. The mouse strain C57-Black was not colonised with C. jejuni to the same degree as the other mouse strains. It is concluded that mice can become colonised for prolonged periods and that they may act as reservoirs of Campylobacter for other species.