Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Chicken Carcasses in the Federal District, Brazil

Abstract

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.