Antimicrobial resistance profiling and molecular subtyping of Campylobacter spp. from processed turkey

Campylobacter isolates from plant A (n = 439; including 196 C. coli and 217 C. jejuni) and plant B (n = 362, including 281 C. coli and 62 C. jejuni) were tested for susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and erythromycin using agar dilution. C. coli were more frequently resistant than C. jejuni in both plants, including resistance to ciprofloxacin (28% of C. jejuni and 63% of C. coli, plant B; and 11% of C. coli, plant A). Erythromycin resistance was low among C. jejuni (0% plant A and 0.3% plant B) compared to C. coli (41%, plant A and 17%, plant B). One hundred resistant and susceptible isolates were selected for additional antimicrobial susceptibility testing, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the flaA gene (fla typing), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Fla-PFGE types obtained (n = 37) were associated with a specific plant with the exception of one type that was isolated from both plants. C. coli isolates (n = 65) were grouped into 20 types, while C. jejuni isolates (n = 35) were grouped into 17 types. Most isolates with identical fla-PFGE patterns shared identical or very similar antimicrobial resistance profiles. PFGE alone and composite analysis using fla-PFGE with resistance profiles separated C. jejuni and C. coli into distinct groups.Ciprofloxacin and erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter recovered from processed turkey occurred more frequently among C. coli than C. jejuni. Fla-PFGE types were associated with a particular species, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and a specific plant. Molecular subtyping in this study provided more information about the relationships among antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter at the processing level.Campylobacter spp. are one of the major causes of human gastroenteritis worldwide and are estimated to cause over two million cases of illness annually in the U.S. [1]. Greater than 95% of human infections are due to C. jejuni or C. coli [2]. Human disease is characterized by diarrhea, fever, and ab