Identification and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter species isolated from poultry meat in Khorasan province, Iran

Campylobacter is the main bacterial cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the most frequent Campylobacter species isolated from patients with diarrhea. Undercooked poultry meat is one of the main sources of human infection. Contamination of poultry carcasses by Campylobacter during processing occurs directly via intestinal contents or indirectly from bird to bird, via equipment and water. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolated from raw poultry meat in Mashhad, Iran. From May 2012 to July 2012, 300 poultry meat samples including chicken (150), turkey (70), partridge (50), and quail (30) were randomly purchased from retail outlets. Using cultural method and a PCR assay 49.7% of poultry meat samples were contaminated with Campylobacter spp. Campylobacter spp. were significantly (P < 0.05) more prevalent in chicken meat (59.3%), followed by partridge (48%), quail (40%), and turkey (34.3%) meat. The most prevalent Campylobacter spp. isolated was C. jejuni (80.8%); the remaining isolates were C. coli (19.3%). Overall, 96.6% Campylobacter isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agent. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was the most common finding (81.9%), followed by resistance to nalidixic acid (73.2%) and tetracycline (67.8%). In conclusion, the results of this study showed the importance of chicken, quail, partridge, and turkey meat as potential sources of Campylobacter spp. infection in people.