Abstract
BackgroundCampylobacter is considered to be the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis, of which poultry is the main reservoir. Campylobacter contaminated chicken products are a major cause of human Campylobacter infection. In this study, the prevalence of Campylobacter in chicken in central China was investigated, and the genotypic diversity, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm of these isolates were characterized.ResultsA total of 206 Campylobacter isolates, including 166 C. jejuni and 40 C. coli, were isolated from chicken farms and live poultry markets in central China. Multilocus sequence typing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the Campylobacter isolates had diverse genetic backgrounds, which covered most of the dominant clone complexes (CCs) reported throughout China. The most prevalent CCs were CC-464, CC-1150, CC-353, and CC-828. All the isolates showed resistance to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and Cefazolin, and a prevalent resistance to fluoroquinolones, β-lactams and tetracyclines was also observed. Among all the isolates, 133 strains showed the ability to form biofilm, thereinto, the isolates in two genetic branches, mainly including CC-21, CC-48, CC-677 and CC-45, showed a significantly lower ability to form biofilm than other genetic branches (p < 0.05). However, in general, the ability to form biofilm varied among different genetic branches, suggesting a complex genetic background to biofilm formation, but not only the genetic lineages. Compared with the strains unable to form biofilm, biofilm-producing strains possessed a significantly higher resistance to ampicillin, neomycin, sulfamethoxazole, amikacin, clindamycin and erythromycin (p < 0.05).ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the relationship of the genotypic diversity, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-forming abilities of Campylobacter isolated from chicken in Central China, which showed the potential importance of biofilm in antimicrobial resistance. This study will help us better understand the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter.
Highlights
Campylobacter is considered to be the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis, of which poultry is the main reservoir
We investigated the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and genetic diversity of Campylobacter strains isolated from chicken farms and markets in central China, which is one of the most important livestock and poultry circulation centers
Campylobacter strains were isolated, including 156 C. jejuni and 38 C. coli from anal swab samples, 5 C. jejuni and 2 C. coli from soil samples, and 5 C. jejuni from aerosol samples
Summary
Campylobacter is considered to be the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis, of which poultry is the main reservoir. Campylobacter contaminated chicken products are a major cause of human Campylobacter infection. The prevalence of Campylobacter in chicken in central China was investigated, and the genotypic diversity, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm of these isolates were characterized. Campylobacter is considered to be the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide [1], accounting for an estimated 500 million infections per year globally [2]. In North China, 36 cases of Guillain Barré Syndrome, resulted from C. jejuni infection, were reported in 2007 [4]. Campylobacter-contaminated chicken products are a major cause of human Campylobacter infection [8], which highlights its potential public health threat. Data on the prevalence and genetic diversity of Campylobacter is still limited in China, especially central China, which is an important transportation junction
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