Isolation and Identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli From Various Animal Source Foods by Conventional Methods and PCR

In this study, 300 samples consisted of chicken meats, ground beef, and gallbladder of cattle and sheep were collected from various markets, butchers and abattoirs in the Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey. The samples were evaluated for the presence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 16 (5.3%) of the samples by conventional methods. The isolates were identified by biochemical analyses and the polymerase chain reaction technique, which revealed that 12 (75%) of samples were Campylobacter jejuni while 4 (25%) of them were Campylobacter coli. As a result, it was considered that Campylobacter species, an important category of microorganisms causing acute bacterial gastroenteritis in humans, are commonly transmitted through foods in animal origin.