A STUDY OF CAMPYLOBACTER IN SEWAGE, SEWAGE-SLUDGE AND IN RIVER WATER

This study is aimed at determining the occurrence of campylobacters in waste water, sewage sludge and in a river system. The selective medium for the isolation of campylobacter consists of blood agar supplemented with the antibiotics vancomycin (10-mu-g/ml), cephalexin (15-mu-g/ml), trimethoprim (5-mu-g/ml), polymycin B (2.5-mu-g/ml) and rifampicin (5 ug/ml). Raw sewage samples contained about 10(3) Campylobacter/100 ml while the effluent showed an average concentration of 1.3 x 10(2)/100 ml. Raw sewage from an oxidation pond treatment plant contained an average of 51 Campylobacter/100 ml while none were found in the effluent. No Campylobacter could be found in digested, conditioned sludge. The organism could be detected in 82.1 % of river waters examined with the majority showing < 10/100 ml. The presence of waterfowl and the faecal contamination from a poultry farm resulted in higher Campylobacter levels. About 50 % of the isolates typed as C. coli were really confirmed as C. jejuni by electrophoretic pattern (whole cell protein profiles).