Serovars and biovars of Campylobacter strains isolated from humans and slaughterhouse animals in northern Germany.

A total of 318 Campylobacter strains from sporadic cases of human enteritis (109 strains) and healthy slaughterhouse animals in northern Germany (209 strains) were bio- and serotyped according to the Lior typing schemes. Three hundred strains were typable (94.3%) and 38 serovars were identified. Among human strains 28 serovars were identified with 30% of them belonging to serovar 4. Strains from pigs were associated with 25 serovars, the most frequent being serovar 20 (21.2%). Fourteen serovars were identified in the ovine strains of which 31.1% were of serovar 49, and 22.2% of serovar 4. All of the strains from one chicken farm were of serovar 11, whereas in those from another serovar 1 was predominant (85.4%). Twenty-five of the 38 serovars identified were associated with at least two different biovars. Campylobacter jejuni biovar I was predominant in humans, sheep and chickens and Campylobacter coli biovar I in pigs. The results suggest that the combined use of bio- and serotyping according to the Lior typing schemes would be of use in studies on the epidemiology of human campylobacteriosis in Germany.