# Study the Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Factors of Campylobacter Jejuni and Campylobacter Coli Isolated from Poultry Meat: Campylobacter in poultry meat

## TL;DR

This study found that raw poultry meat, especially duck, is a significant source of antibiotic-resistant and virulent Campylobacter bacteria.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the prevalence and genetic resistance/virulence profiles of Campylobacter in raw poultry meat.

## Key findings

- 19% of poultry meat samples were contaminated with Campylobacter spp., with duck meat having the highest contamination rate.
- Multidrug resistance was observed in 81.39% of C. jejuni and 75% of C. coli isolates.
- Common virulence factors like cadF and cdtB were frequently detected in C. jejuni isolates.

## Abstract

Poultry meat is recognized as a potential reservoir of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. This study was done to assess antibiotic resistance and virulence characteristics of C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from raw poultry meat.

Raw poultry meat samples were collected. C. jejuni and C. coli were isolated after microbial examination. Disk diffusion was applied to apprise antibiotic resistance. Polymerase Chain Reaction was employed to determine the virulence and antibiotic resistance gene distribution.

Raw poultry meat samples contamination rate with Campylobacter spp. was 19% (76 out of 400 samples). The highest contamination rate was observed amongst the raw duck meat samples (37.50%). Forty-three (56.57%) and twenty (26.31%) out of 76 Campylobacter spp. were recognized as C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively. C. jejuni and C. coli isolates harbored the uppermost rates of resistance toward tetracycline (67.44% and 50%), gentamicin (60.46% and 50%), ampicillin (48.89% and 40%), and erythromycin (48.89% and 35%), respectively. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant C. jejuni and C. coli was 81.39% and 75%, respectively. C. jejuni and C. coli bacteria harbored tetO (23.48% and 45%), cmeB (44.18% and 45%), and blaOXA (44.18% and 35%) antibiotic resistance genes, respectively. All isolates harbored fla and ciaB. Among the C. jejuni isolates, cadF (67.44%), racC (46.51%), and cdtB (46.51%) and amongst the C. coli isolates, pldA (50%), cdtA (35%), racC (30%), and cadF (30%) were major virulence factors.

The role of raw poultry meat, particularly duck and goose, as antibiotic-resistant and virulent Campylobacter spp. reservoirs were confirmed.