The aim of the present study was to perform microbiological isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from chilled chicken carcasses marketed in the Federal District of Brazil and to subject the strains to an antibiogram. A total of 92 samples from chilled chicken carcasses were acquired, 18 of which (19.56%) tested positive for C. jejuni. A total of 16 strains were tested for susceptibility to eight antimicrobial drugs. All 16 strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 15 strains to nalidixic acid, streptomycin, tetracycline, and gentamycin, 14 strains to amoxicillin, 11 strains to erythromycin, and 6 strains to chloramphenicol. The present study is the first to report on the presence of C. jejuni in chilled chicken carcasses marketed in the Federal District region of Brazil. These results may indicate flaws in certain steps of this food processing and highlight a possible public health problem due to the high level of resistance exhibited by the isolated strains.

This study aimed to isolate Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from chilled chicken carcasses marketed in the Federal District Region and surrounding areas, as well as to detect the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and genes responsible for the same. A total of 105 chilled chicken carcasses were collected, of which 7 (6.67%) were positive for C. jejuni and 4 (3.81%) were positive for C. coli. These results were obtained using both the conventional microbiological isolation method and polymerase chain reaction assays. All of the positive strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing for seven antimicrobials. The resistance incidences found in the C. jejuni strains were as follows: 71.43% for tetracycline and nalidixic acid, 42.86% for streptomycin and gentamicin, 57.14% for ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, and 28.57% for chloramphenicol. Among the C. coli strains, 100% were resistant to tetracycline and streptomycin, 75% were resistant to erythromycin, 50% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and nalidixic acid, and no strains were resistant to chloramphenicol. While analyzing the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes in the isolated C. jejuni strains, the aph3-1 (resistance to aminoglycosides), aadE (resistance to streptomycin), and tet(O) (resistance to tetracycline) genes were identified, with occurrence rates of 57.14%, 28.57%, and 42.86%, respectively, whereas in the C. coli strains, there was a 25% occurrence rate for both the aph3-1 and tet(O) genes. The aadE gene was not found in the C. coli isolates. The results of this study demonstrated the presence of C. jejuni and C. coli in chilled chicken carcasses marketed in the Federal District Region and surrounding areas, as well as the antimicrobial resistance and the presence of resistance genes in these bacteria, which may pose threats to public health.