Antibiotic Resistance in the Alternative Lifestyles of Campylobacter jejuni.

Daise Aparecida Rossi,Carolyne Ferreira Dumont,Jandra Pacheco Dos Santos,Renata Resende Prado,Roberta Torres De Melo,Camilla Beatriz Da Silva Melo,Vassiliki Jaconi Stamoulis,Guilherme Paz Monteiro,Maria Eduarda De Lourdes Vaz,Ana Carolina De Souza Santos

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.535757

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the main pathogen identified in cases of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. Its importance in poultry production and public health is highlighted due to the growing antimicrobial resistance. Our study comparatively investigated the effect of five different classes of antimicrobials on the planktonic and biofilm forms of 35 strains of C. jejuni with high phylogenetic distinction in 30 of them. In the planktonic form, the existence of susceptible strains to colistin (7/35 – 20%) and resistance to meropenem (3/35 – 8.6%) represent a novelty in strains evaluated in Brazil. In biofilms formed with the addition of chicken juice, the number of resistant strains was significantly higher for colistin, erythromycin and meropenem (100%), but the susceptibility to tetracycline was shown as a control strategy for specific cases. High concentrations (1,060 ± 172.1mg/L) of antibiotics were necessary to control the biofilm structure in susceptible strains in the planktonic form, which is consistent with the high biomass produced in these strains. Stainless steel and polyurethane were the most (BFI=2.1) and least (BFI=1.6) favorable surfaces for the production of biomass treated with antimicrobials. It is concluded that the antimicrobial action was detected for all tested drugs in planktonic form. In sessile forms, the biomass production was intensified, except for tetracycline, which showed an antibiofilm effect.

Highlights

Campylobacter jejuni is considered the main pathogen that causes human foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers
Our study investigated the differences in susceptibility to antibiotics, with different mechanisms of action, in C. jejuni isolated from chicken carcasses in planktonic and biofilm forms in the presence of chicken juice (CJ) under different abiotic surfaces
Our study found resistance percentages ≥80% for ciprofloxacin (31/ 35, 88.6%), tetracycline (30/35, 85.7%), and colistin (28/35, 80.0%) in planktonic form

Summary

Introduction

Campylobacter jejuni is considered the main pathogen that causes human foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. It is responsible for more than 500 million cases of diarrhea every year (CDC, 2020; EFSA, 2020) and in severe cases of infection by C. jejuni, individuals can develop post-infection complications such as Guillain Barré Syndrome (Goodfellow and Wilson, 2016). The low antimicrobials interaction with the biofilm matrix that prevents access to bacteria, reduction of multiplication rate and bacterial metabolism, and the intrinsic or plasmidial determinants of antibiotic resistance contribute to this profile and help ensure the survival of biofilm cells even under more aggressive antimicrobial treatment regimes (Hall and Mah, 2017). The presence of these structures in equipment and processing surfaces, such as stainless steel, polypropylene and polyurethane, become a persistent reservoir of contamination, compromising food safety and human health (Arnold and Silvers, 2000)

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