In vitro antimicrobial resistant pattern, plasmid profile and the survival of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from...

1. Infections due to Campylobacter spp. significantly contribute to bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. This study aimed to investigate whether Campylobacter spp. can persist in poultry environments and how they survive in various sources from poultry farms and slaughterhouses.2. A total of 192 samples were collected from three different poultry farms and slaughterhouses and C. jejuni was detected in 47.4% of them. The prevalence of C. jejuni was higher in poultry slaughterhouses than in farms. A total of 69 C. jejuni were tested for their susceptibility to different antibiotics. From these 15 isolates from poultry farms and slaughterhouses, 50-70% exhibited antibiotic resistance. These isolates were analysed for plasmid profiling, identification of virulence genes and lipo-oligosaccharide characterisation.3. Nearly all C. jejuni isolates harboured plasmid sizes ranging from 2.3 to 23 kb. The virB11 gene of C. jejuni was characterised using PCR and there was no gene amplification in the isolated strains. All multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates from poultry farms and slaughterhouses had full-length lipo-oligosaccharide molecules, based on their molecular weight.4. The MDR strain C. jejuni (LCJ5) was chosen for its survival rate from various sources, including lamb, chicken meat and eggs, as well as in the slaughterhouse environment, which contains materials like stainless steel, iron and wood. The findings suggested that the prevalence of Campylobacter can be reduced through improved hygiene practices and by raising awareness about the importance of consuming properly cooked meat products.