The Viable but Non-Culturable (VBNC) State of Campylobacter jejuni Lacks Propagation Ability in the Mouse Intestinal Tract

Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen that can enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state under environmental stresses. Whether VBNC C. jejuni can colonize the intestinal tract remains unclear. This study evaluated the intestinal propagation of C. jejuni in the VBNC state. VBNC C. jejuni NCTC11168 was induced at 4°C under aerobic conditions. Three-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a zinc-deficient diet and given antibiotics in drinking water. Mice were orally administered approximately 107 colony-forming units of culturable C. jejuni, VBNC cells, or Müller–Hinton broth as a control. In mice administered culturable cells, C. jejuni increased in stool based on colony counting and quantitative PCR. No culturable C. jejuni was detected in mice administered VBNC cells. No clinical signs, weight loss, or significant increases in the inflammatory biomarkers lipocalin-2 and myeloperoxidase were observed in either infected group. Thus, culturable C. jejuni propagated in the mouse intestinal tract, whereas VBNC C. jejuni did not show detectable propagation under the conditions tested. Further studies are needed to determine whether VBNC C. jejuni can colonize and exhibit pathogenicity in the human intestinal tract.