The subgroup named 1B**, which is comprised of CC 48 and CC 206 isolates, is only cstII but not cstIII positive. Isolates from the subgroup 1B*** (CC 49 and CC 446) are partially positive, partially negative for cstII but generally cstIII-negative. All in all, 23 isolates are positive for cstII and cstIII. Most of these double-positive isolates belong to group 1 (87.0%) and CC 21 (65.2%). The isolates of group 2A are in the majority cstII-positive, in contrast to group 2B isolates that are negative

for both, cstII and cstIII, which means that these RepSox isolates bear a non-sialylated LOS. Most of the group 3 isolates are positive for cstII but not cstIII, besides a minority of CC 353 isolates that are cstIII-positive. The majority of isolates in the groups 4, 5, and 6 are cstII- and cstIII-negative (non-sialylated LOS). Finally the ratio of human isolates in comparison to all animal isolates was significantly (p = 0.04355) increased in the ggt-positive subgroup 2B, whereas the difference

for the whole group 2 (A + B) was increased but not significant. An increased ratio of human isolates could be also detected for the fucP-negative subpopulation (p(1B*** + 2) = 0.04790) as well as the ceuE-negative (referring to a PCR using NCTC 11168-based primers) subpopulation (p(2 + 3A*) = 0.00825). However, we could not detect any significant association between a particular animal host species and the presence of the eight tested genetic markers (results not shown). With the exception of group 1B** with a significant (p = 0.01374) lower hospitalization find more rate and group 3A* with Resveratrol a significant (p = 0.00020) lower rate of bloody diarrhea no significant differences in the clinical parameters could be detected within this study population. Discussion Looking at all detected genetic markers we could describe two major types of marker gene combinations represented by group 1A and group 2B. All other groups depict a gradual transition of marker gene combinations between these two groups. Thus the main focus on attention

should be on these two groups. Group 1A is characterized by the presence of cj1365c, cj1585c, dimeric tlp7[2], LY411575 price cj1321- cj1326, fucP, cj0178, cfrA/cj755, and ceuE 11168 as well as the absence of ansB, dmsA, ggt and cstII. In contrast to that, group 2B is an inverted mirror image of this constellation: positive for ansB, dmsA, ggt but negative for cj1365c, cj1585c, dimeric tlp7[2], cj1321- cj1326, fucP, cj0178, cfrA/cj755, ceuE 11168 as well as cstII/III. Champion and coworkers identified the flagellin O-glycosylation locus cj1321-cj1326 as marker present in livestock-associated strains, whereas 55.7% of clinical isolates were shown by them to be negative for this gene cluster [6]. According to their data, cj1321-cj1326-negative strains originate mostly from asymptomatic carriers and the environment [6]. Due to our data, 63.9% of the tested C. jejuni isolates show livestock association based on the presence of cj1321-cj1326.