Identification of potential environmentally adapted Campylobacter jejuni strain, United Kingdom.

In a study of Campylobacter infection in northwestern England, 2003-2006, C. jejuni multilocus sequence type (ST)-45 was associated with early summer onset and was the most prevalent C. jejuni type in surface waters. ST-45 is likely more adapted to survival outside a host, making it a key driver of transmission between livestock, environmental, and human settings.