Molecular Identification of Campylobacter, Arcobacter, and Salmonella in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Reared in Farms of Northern Iran

Background: Food animals such as different rearing birds can transmit zoonotic enteropathogenic bacteria, which exist in their intestinal microbiota. This research was designed in order to molecular identification of Campylobacter, Arcobacter, as well as Salmonella in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) reared in farms of Northern Iran. Methods: Total of 100 cloacal samples were collected from 20 different quail farms. After extraction of total DNA, the samples subjected to molecular detection of the Campylobacter, Arcobacter, and Salmonella using polymerase chain reaction. By Chi-squared, all statistical analyses were performed by SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL (v. 18.0). Results: Totally, the prevalence rates of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Arcobacter in samples were 95, 65, and 0%, respectively. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in rural farms was significantly (p<0.05) higher than semi-industrial farms. Conclusion: High occurrence of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. were found in rearing quail populations of Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. These enteropathogens can contaminate food products obtained from the birds indicating their public health importance.