Characterization and antibiotic pattern of Campylobacter sp. isolates from different sources of the food chain

Abstract

Campylobacter sp.is a food borne pathogen that manifests itself in food poultry worldwide. Specifically, it is Campylobacter jejuni who is the leader of gastroenteritis cases in the all of Europe and mostly North America. The severity of the symptoms of the disease ranges from mild inflammatory diarrhea to severe inflammatory diarrhea. It is with this small percentage of severe cases along with the rare prolonged enteritis that anti-microbial treatment is required. The problem is however, that the rise of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains has risen. It is imperative to find alternatives to antibiotics to fight Campylobacter; nonetheless, the antimicrobial treatment for the bacteria is still necessary. The main objective of this work was to profile the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of several isolates from chicken or chicken products, which is the main vehicle transmission for humans. This was first done by subculturing and growing the strains, subjecting them genre characterization Dry Spot tests, performing biochemical tests such as Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis and Hippurate Hydrolysis test, and finally statistical analysis of antibiotic pattern of the strains. Of the 15 antibiotics profiled for C. jejuni, eight to nine of the antibiotics were ineffective as the strains tested resistant for them. It was determined that methods previously mentioned are very applicable to profile the antibiotic susceptibility of strains, and that the use of antibiotics in farms affect the resistance of the strains,