Antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from retail raw chicken meat in Jordan

Campylobacteriosis is among the most common infectious foodborne diseases caused by the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence rate, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, and the presence of targeted AMR genes among C. jejuni isolated from chilled raw chicken meat at different retail markets and abattoirs in Jordan. Seven hundred raw chicken samples (200 eviscerated carcasses from abattoirs, 400 eviscerated carcasses from retail markets, and 100 chicken breasts from retail markets) were collected between October 2022 and August 2024. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 23.6 % (165/700) of samples, with 16.9 % (118/700) confirmed as C. jejuni via hipO-specific gene using PCR procedure. Carcasses from the retail market showed the highest prevalence rate of C. jejuni (19.5 %), followed by abattoirs (16.5 %) and retail chicken breasts (7.0 %). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) revealed alarming resistance rates: β-lactams (ampicillin: 50.8 %, ceftazidime: 84.7 %); tetracycline (69.5 %); and ciprofloxacin (72.9 %). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 36.4 % (43/118) of isolates. PCR identified key resistance genes: bla_OXA-61 (66.1 %), bla_OXA-184 (59.3 %), tet(O) (67.8 %), and gyrA (83.9 %), with higher occurrence among MDR isolates. This study highlights the crucial need for the management of antimicrobial usage, stricter hygiene practices, and surveillance to mitigate the public health concerns pertaining to AMR posed by C. jejuni.