Identification of Genetic Markers of Drug Resistance and Virulence Factor Gene in Campylobacter Jejuni Isolated From Children in North Iraq

Campylobacter(C)spp. are curved, Gram-negative. They are common prevalent causes of zoonotic disease. C.jejuni and C.coli are responsible of about 90% of Campylobacteriosis, associated with diarrheal symptoms. The collected samples included stool of children suffering from diarrhea (80,100%). The classical diagnostic methods like direct examination using gram stain or indirect examination via cultivation and purification with special medium assisted us to select 20 isolates (C1-C20, 25%), while biochemical reaction reduced the suspected samples to 9 isolates (C1, C2, C6, C7, C11, C13, C14 and C20). Antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out to show the bacterial susceptibility to the utilized antibacterial, revealing different percent as resist (tetracycline; 4samples, 45% C1, C2, C6 and C13) and sensitive 6(C6, C7, C13, C14, C17 and C20). Molecular screening was more sensitive by detecting some genetic elements responsible for drug resistance like tetO gene(3saples,559bp.tetracycline)and apha-3gene(2 samples,600bp.aminoglycosides),and virB-11(2 samples,708)as virulence factor gene. Finally, the sequence of tetO (3samples) was confirmed by diagnosing Campylobacter spp. as C.jejuni.