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The objective of this meta-analysis was to summarize available information on the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter species in humans, food-producing animals, and products of animal origin. A number of multilevel random-effect meta-analysis models were fitted to estimate mean occurrence rate of antimicrobial-resistant thermotolerant Campylobacter and to compare them throughout the years and among the species, food-producing animals (i.e., bovine, pigs, broilers, hen, goat, and sheep), country of origin, sample type, methodology to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility, and the species of Campylobacter. Among the considered antibiotics, thermotolerant Campylobacter showed the highest resistance to tetracycline (pool estimate [PE] = 0.493; 95% CI 0.466-0.519), nalidixic acid (PE = 0.385; 95% CI 0.348-0.423), and ciprofloxacin (PE = 0.376; 95% CI 0.339-0.415). In general, the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter spp. was higher in hen, broilers, and swine. Campylobacter coli showed a higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance than Campylobacter jejuni. Independent of the antimicrobial evaluated, the disk diffusion method showed higher prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter than the methods based on the minimum inhibitory concentration estimation. The meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter is relevant essentially in foods derived from hens and broilers, and it was observed worldwide. The prevalence of this pathogen is of public health importance and the increase in the prevalence of Campylobacter strains resistant to the antimicrobial of choice worsens the situation, hence, national authorities must monitor the situation in each country with the aim to establish the appropriate risk management measures.

The objective of this meta-analysis was to summarize available information on the prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter (TC) in different food-producing animals worldwide. Databases (i.e., PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus) were searched from 1980 to 2017 unrestricted by language. The inclusion criteria were as follows: prevalence or incidence studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, and they must have reported the total number of animal samples studied and the number of samples that were positive for the presence of TC. When the identification of Campylobacter species was available, this information was included in the analysis.Multilevel random-effect meta-analysis models were fitted to estimate mean occurrence rate of TC and to compare them among different factors potentially associated with the outcome. The mean occurrence rate of TC in food-producing animals was 0.424 (95% CI: 0.394-0.455), and the mean occurrence rate of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were 0.214 and 0.133, respectively. Pigs and poultry showed the highest prevalence of TC; however, there were differences in the prevalence of each Campylobacter species. Campylobacter jejuni was observed in broilers (0.322; 95% CI: 0.273-0.377) and hens (0.395; 95% CI: 0.265-0.542), while C. coli was restricted essentially in pigs (0.553; 95% CI: 0.541-0.650). The prevalence of C. jejuni in intensively bred cattle was higher (0.302; 95% CI: 0.227-0.389) than the prevalence in extensively bred cattle (0.172; 95% CI: 0.119-0.242) while the prevalence of C. coli was similar (0.051; 95% CI: 0.028-0.091 vs. 0.050; 95% CI: 0.027-0.091) in both production systems. Agar with or without blood used for the isolation of TC did not affect the prevalence observed. The method of species identification did not seem to generate differences in the prevalence of Campylobacter species. The prevalence of Campylobacter in primary food production has a strong impact on the entire agri-food chain. National authorities must monitor the situation with the aim to establish the appropriate risk management measures. K E Y W O R D Sfood-producing animals, meta-analysis, prevalence, thermotolerant Campylobacter