Rights statement: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=HYG The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Urban History, 138 (4), pp 549-558 2010, © 2010 Cambridge University Press.
Final published version, 125 KB, PDF document
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
| <mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 04/2010 |
|---|---|
| <mark>Journal</mark> | Epidemiology and Infection |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Volume | 138 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Pages (from-to) | 549-558 |
| Publication Status | Published |
| <mark>Original language</mark> | English |
In a 2-year longitudinal study of adult animals on 15 dairy farms and four sheep farms in Lancashire, UK. C. jejuni was isolated from all farms, although not on every occasion. Faecal samples were collected and cultured using standard techniques for isolation of Campylobacter. Assignment to species was via PCR assays. Peak prevalence of C. jejuni in both cattle and sheep was observed during the summer and in cattle this apparent seasonality was associated with grazing pasture [odds ratio (OR) 2.14], while in sheep it was independent of grazing. Increased prevalence was associated with increased milk yield (OR 1.05) and herd size (OR 1.01) in dairy cattle, and with increased stocking density (OR 1-29) and pasture quality (OR 2.16) in sheep. There was considerable variation in prevalence between farms but no evidence of large-scale spatial variation. The association between C.jejuni prevalence and diet in dairy cattle deserves further investigation.