Strother Keith O, Steelman C Dayton, Gbur E E
Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
J Med Entomol. 2005 Jan;42(1):42-7. doi: 10.1093/jmedent/42.1.42.
The lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), is a carrier of Campylobacter spp. in poultry facilities; however, the beetle's importance in the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis is not known. A series of laboratory experiments were designed to test the vector and reservoir competence of the lesser mealworm for Campylobacter jejuni. In the first experiment, C. jejuni was swabbed onto the outer surface of adult and larval beetles to determine how long bacteria can survive on the beetles' exterior. Next, adult and larval mealworms were allowed to drink from a solution containing C. jejuni and the duration of internal carriage was monitored. For the third experiment, beetles drank from a Campylobacter suspension and the duration of fecal shedding of bacteria was determined. In the last experiment, 3-d-old chickens were fed either one or 10 infected beetles, and cloacal swabs were tested periodically for Campylobacter. C. jejuni was detected on the exterior of larval beetles for 12 h, from the interior of larvae for 72 h, and from the feces of larvae for 12 h after exposure. Ninety percent of the birds that consumed a single adult or larval beetles became Campylobacter-positive, whereas 100% of the birds that consumed 10 adults or larvae became positive. These experiments demonstrated that the lesser mealworm could acquire and harbor Campylobacter from an environmental source. We found that the lesser mealworm was capable of passing viable bacteria to chickens that consumed the beetle. The beetle should be included in attempts to maintain Campylobacter-free poultry facilities.
小黄粉虫（Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer)）是家禽养殖场弯曲杆菌属的携带者；然而，这种甲虫在弯曲杆菌病流行病学中的重要性尚不清楚。设计了一系列实验室实验来测试小黄粉虫对空肠弯曲菌的传播媒介和储存宿主能力。在第一个实验中，将空肠弯曲菌涂抹在成虫和幼虫甲虫的外表面，以确定细菌能在甲虫外部存活多长时间。接下来，让成虫和幼虫粉虫饮用含有空肠弯曲菌的溶液，并监测体内携带的持续时间。在第三个实验中，甲虫饮用弯曲杆菌悬浮液，并确定细菌粪便排出的持续时间。在最后一个实验中，给3日龄的鸡喂食1只或10只受感染的甲虫，并定期检测泄殖腔拭子中的弯曲杆菌。暴露后，在幼虫甲虫外部检测到空肠弯曲菌12小时，在幼虫内部检测到72小时，在幼虫粪便中检测到12小时。食用1只成虫或幼虫甲虫的鸡中有90%弯曲杆菌呈阳性，而食用10只成虫或幼虫的鸡中有100%呈阳性。这些实验表明，小黄粉虫可以从环境来源获取并携带弯曲杆菌。我们发现小黄粉虫能够将活细菌传递给食用甲虫的鸡。在维持无弯曲杆菌家禽养殖场的努力中应考虑这种甲虫。
