Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns ofCampylobacterspp. Isolated from Broiler Chickens in the North of Tunisia

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of Campylobacter infection in broiler chickens, raised in intensive production conditions, and to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of recovered Campylobacter isolates. A total of 590 cloacal swab samples were taken from 13 broiler chicken flocks in the North East of Tunisia. All samples were tested for the presence of thermophilic Campylobacter by culture and PCR, targeting the mapA and ceuE genes, respectively. Susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs was tested against 8 antibiotics. Prevalence of Campylobacter infection, relationship with geographic origins and seasons, antimicrobial resistance rates and patterns were analyzed. Total prevalence of Campylobacter infection in broiler flocks was in the range of 22.4%, with a predominance of C. jejuni (68.9%), followed by C. coli (31.1%). Positive association was highlighted between the infection level and the season (P < 0.001), but no link was emphasized considering the geographic origin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed very high resistance rates detected against macrolide, tetracycline, quinolones, and chloramphenicol, ranging from 88.6% to 100%. Lower resistance prevalence was noticed for β-lactams (47% and 61.4%) and gentamicin (12.9%). 17 R-type patterns were observed, and a common pattern was found in 30.3% of isolates. This study provides updates and novel data on the prevalence and the AMR of broiler campylobacters in Tunisia, revealing the occurrence of high resistance to several antibiotics and emphasizing the requirement of better surveillance and careful regulation of antimicrobials use.

Prevalence, seasonality, and antimicrobial resistance of thermotolerant Campylobacter isolated from broiler farms and slaughterhouses in East Algeria

“…Phenotypic characterization of Campylobacter isolates showed that poultry are colonized primarily by C. jejuni , followed by C. coli , and rarely by other species. These results are in agreement with the previous studies in the Netherlands [ 37 ] and Tunisia [ 17 ]. However , C. coli was isolated at a higher rate than C. jejuni in other studies in Egypt [ 38 ] and Ecuador [ 39 ].…”

“…and Abushahba et al . reported lower prevalence rates of 22.4% and 23.5% in North Tunisia and Upper Egypt, respectively [ 17 , 18 ]. Furthermore, the rates previously reported in Algeria vary from 12% to 96% [ 19 , 20 ].…”

New and alternative strategies for the prevention, control, and treatment of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter

“…[42][43][44][45][46] The resistance to fluoroquinolones is especially a concern as in many countries, the majority of Campylobacter isolates are no longer susceptible to this class of antibiotics. 18,[47][48][49][50] In the U.S., a recent CDC report revealed a rising trend of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter for the past two decades and the resistance rate reached 29% in 2017. 9 A unique feature of fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter is its continued persistence or even increased prevalence in the absence of antibiotic usage.…”

Quantitative microbiological slaughter process analysis in a large-scale Swiss poultry abattoir

“…For instance, in 2017, 57.7% of human and 68.8 of broiler isolates in the EU were ciprofloxacin resistant (European Food Safety AuthorityEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2019). In other parts of the world, up to 100% of all isolates were ciprofloxacin resistant (Gharbi et al, 2018;Li et al, 2017;Sierra-Arguello et al, 2016;Woźniak-Biel et al, 2018). Given the high prevalence of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter strains, ciprofloxacin has been largely abandoned for the treatment of human infections, with erythromicin being used as a replacement antibiotic to treat human infections (Bolinger & Kathariou, 2017).…”