ABSTRACT
Objective:
To understand the antimicrobial resistance and
genome characteristics of
Campylobacter isolates recovered from retailed
poultry meat samples in 20 provinces in
China in 2020.
Methods:
In 2020, 265
Campylobacter strains including 244
Campylobacter jejuni and 21
Campylobacter coli collected from retailed
poultry meat samples in
China were tested for antimicrobial resistance to 9 antimicrobial compounds by using the
agar dilution method. Forty-two selected isolates were sent for
whole genome sequencing and 38 high-quality
genomes were analyzed for their antimicrobial resistance
genes,
virulence genes, sequence types and
genetic diversity.
Results:
The resistance rates of
Campylobacter isolates from
poultry meats to
tetracycline,
nalidixic acid and
ciprofloxacin were the highest (84%-100%), with 53.2% of the isolates showing
multidrug resistance in this study. The resistance rates of C.
coli to
erythromycin,
azithromycin, telithromycin,
gentamicin and
clindamycin were significantly higher than those of C. jejuni (P<0.05). The resistance
genes conferring resistance to β-
lactams (100%, 38/38),
quinolones (94.7%, 36/38),
tetracycline (81.6%, 31/38) and
aminoglycosides (50%, 19/38) were the most frequently detected among 38
Campylobacter genomes. C. jejuni carried more
virulence genes than C.
coli. In total, 19 and 17 sequence types (ST) were obtained from 20 sequenced C. jejuni and 18 C.
coli isolates, respectively, including 5 novel STs. The isolates showed a high
genetic diversity based on their sequence types.
Conclusion:
The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance in
Campylobacter from
poultry meat sources in
China is relatively serious, and resistance and
virulence genes are widely distributed in
Campylobacter. There is
genetic diversity in
Campylobacter.
