A Systematic Review on the Role of Wildlife as Carriers and Spreaders of Campylobacter spp.

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Wildlife are important reservoirs of bacterial pathogens associated with human diseases. Campylobacteriosis is a relevant gastrointestinal disease in humans and is caused principally by Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. This review compiles the current knowledge of the potential for wildlife to carry and spread Campylobacter spp. ABSTRACT: Campylobacter spp. are important zoonotic pathogens and can cause one of the main bacterial diarrheal diseases worldwide. Research in the context of infection arising from transmission from other humans and other vertebrates has been extensive. A large fraction of these investigations has focused on domestic animals; however, there are also a number of publications which either totally, or at least in part, consider the role of wild or feral animals as carriers or spreaders of Campylobacter spp. Here, we carry out a systematic review to explore the role played by wild vertebrates as sources of Campylobacter spp. with a compilation of prevalence data for more than 150 species including reptiles, mammals and birds. We found that numerous vertebrate species can act as carriers of Campylobacter species, but we also found that some host specificity may exist, reducing the risk of spread from wildlife to domestic animals or humans.