Frequency of antibiotic resistance and presence of virulence genes in Campylobacter jejuni isolated from livestock and poultry meat supplied in Shahrekord
Subject Areas : Food Hygiene
ali behnia
1
,
seyed majid hashemi
2
1 - M.Sc. Graduate, Department of Food Hygiene, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Research Center of Nutrition and Organic Products (R.C.N.O.P), Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Keywords: Campylobacter jejuni, Animal meat, Poultry meat, Antibiotic resistance, Virulence gene,
Abstract :
Campylobacteriosis is a common gastrointestinal disease that poses a significant risk to human health. This study aimed to investigate the contamination rate, the presence of virulence genes, and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from meat and poultry sold in Shahrekord city. 272 meat and poultry samples were randomly collected from markets in Shahrekord. The detection of C. jejuni was exploited using standard techniques. Multiplex PCR was used to identify the frequency of virulence genes. The results revealed an average contamination rate of C. jejuni in the samples of 53.68%. Specifically, 43 (63.2%) packaged chicken meat samples, 48 (70.6%) unpackaged chicken meat samples, 34 (34%) unpackaged fresh meat samples, and 23 (63.9%) minced meat samples were found to be contaminated with C. jejuni. The most common virulence gene in minced meat was flaA (65.2%), while the least common was cadF (13%). Antibiotic resistance testing showed the highest resistance to ciprofloxacin (97.94%) and the lowest resistance to imipenem (58.9%). These findings indicate that all types of meat can serve as reservoirs for C. jejuni, and adherence to hygiene standards in slaughterhouses and supply centers can play a crucial role in reducing or eliminating contamination.
