Bacteriological and Molecular Identification of Campylobacter Species in Chickens and Humans, at Zagazig City, Egypt

Abstract

The genus Campylobacter is of great importance to public health because it includes several species thatmay cause diarrhea. Poultry and poultry products are known as important sources of humancampylobacteriosis. A total of 533 samples from broiler chickens ;131 cloacal swabs, 39 chicken skin,39 chicken cecal parts and 78 chicken meat thigh and breast meat (39 of each) were obtained from retailoutlets, as well as, 246 stool swabs from persons attending the outpatient clinic of Al-Ahrar publichospital were examined. The isolation rate of Campylobacter species from chicken skin, thigh meat,breast meat, cecal parts, cloacal swabs and human stool samples were 30.8%, 38.5%, 30.8%, 41%,35.1% and 5.3%, respectively. The conventional biochemical tests were used for discrimination betweenC. jejuni and other Campylobacter species based on standardized hippurate hydrolysis test. C. jejuni wasisolated from cloacal swabs, skin, thigh meat, breast meat, cecal parts and human stool samples with theisolation rate of 45.7%, 50%, 46.7%, 41.7%, 81.3% and 76.9%, respectively. Real-Time PCR targetinghipO gene specific for C. jejuni was used for the confirmation of phenotypically identified 31 C. jejuniisolates. The results showed that the conventional culture methods and biochemical reactions were 100%in accordance with the results of PCR for identification and differentiation of C. jejuni.