Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Markers of Campylobacter Jejuni and Campylobacter Coli Isolated from Retail Poultry Meat in Poland

The occurrence of Campylobacter in poultry meat and subsequent antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates were investigated. The prevalence of Campylobacter in 101 samples was 87.1%. Of these samples, 54.5% contained Campylobacter coli and 45.5% were contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni. Among the strains tested, resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixid acid was the most common, followed by tetracycline and streptomycin. On the other hand, all analysed isolates were susceptible to erythromycin and gentamycin. Moreover, the prevalence of several virulence marker genes among Campylobacter isolates was estimated. All strains showed the presence of the flaA and cadF factors, whereas the iam was identified only in C. jejuni, while the cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC genes were amplified almost in all C. coli isolates.