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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Culture Methods to Determine the Limit of Detection and Survival in Transport Media of Campylobacter Jejuni in Human Fecal Specimens
Published on: March 10, 2020
Isolation and drug-resistant patterns of Campylobacter strains cultured from diarrheic children in Tehran
Mohammad Mehdi Feizabadi1, Samaneh Dolatabadi, Mohammad Reza Zali
1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran. mfeizabadi@tums.ac.ir
Insights
Campylobacter infections are common in Iranian children. High resistance to ciprofloxacin in Campylobacter strains necessitates further investigation into this alarming trend.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Campylobacteriosis is a significant cause of diarrhea in pediatric populations.
- Understanding antimicrobial susceptibility patterns is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect Campylobacter in diarrheal samples from children in Tehran.
- To determine the drug susceptibility of isolated Campylobacter strains.
Main Methods:
- 500 diarrheal samples were collected and processed using enrichment and plating techniques.
- Isolates were identified via biochemical tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
- Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed using the disk diffusion method.
Main Results:
- 40 Campylobacter strains were isolated (8% prevalence), predominantly C. jejuni (85.8%).
- High resistance rates were observed for ciprofloxacin (61.7%) and ceftazidime (47%).
- Enrichment broth increased Campylobacter detection by 25%.
Conclusions:
- Campylobacter is a key pathogen causing diarrhea in Iranian children.
- The high prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance is a serious concern requiring further study.
- Enhanced detection methods improve diagnostic yield.
Abstract:
To detect campylobacteriosis and determine the drug susceptibility of causative organisms, we acquired 500 diarrheic samples in Cary-Blair transfer medium from two pediatric hospitals in Tehran between October 2004 and October 2005. The samples were also enriched in Preston broth (with supplements) and defibrinated sheep blood (7%). They were plated from both media on Brucella agar containing antibiotics and blood. Isolates were identified through biochemical tests and by the polymerase chain reaction method. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. In total, 40 Campylobacter strains were isolated (8%). C. jejuni was the dominant species (85.8%) followed by C. coli (14.2%). The rates of resistance to antimicrobial agents were as follows: ciprofloxacin (61.7%), ceftazidime (47%), carbenicillin (35%), tetracycline (20.5%), cefotaxime (14.7%), ampicillin (11.7%), neomycin erythromycin and chloramphenicol (2.9%), gentamicin, streptomycin, imipenem and colistin (0.0%). Campylobacter is an important cause of diarrhea among Iranian children. The detection of Campylobacter increases by 25% if samples are treated in enrichment broth prior to plating. The high rate of resistance to ciprofloxacin is alarming, and further investigation into the possible reasons for this is imperative.
