Phenotypic and Molecular Patterns of Resistance among <i>Campylobacter coli</i> and <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Isolates, from Pig Farms
Dimitrios Papadopoulos,
Evanthia Petridou,
Konstantinos Papageorgiou,
Ioannis A. Giantsis,
Georgios Delis,
Vangelis Economou,
Ilias Frydas,
Georgios Papadopoulos,
Maria Hatzistylianou,
Spyridon K. Kritas
Affiliations
Dimitrios Papadopoulos
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Evanthia Petridou
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantinos Papageorgiou
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioannis A. Giantsis
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Macedonia, 53100 Florina, Greece
Georgios Delis
Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vangelis Economou
Laboratory of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin-Veterinary Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Frydas
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios Papadopoulos
Laboratory of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Hatzistylianou
Clinic of Pediatrics-Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Spyridon K. Kritas
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
The purpose of this research was to characterize the antibiotic resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolated from commercial farrow to finish farms in Greece, and analyze the relevant molecular resistance mechanisms among the resistant Campylobacter isolates. Susceptibility testing to five different classes of antibiotics was performed in 100 C. coli and 100 C. jejuni, previously isolated and identified. All isolates were found susceptible to meropenem. Very high rates of resistance were recorded for tetracyclines (84.5%), medium rates of resistance were recorded regarding quinolones (23%), and low and very low rates of resistance were identified for macrolides such as erythromycin and aminoglycosides (12% and 4%, respectively). Only 12.5% of the Campylobacter isolates displayed MDR. Regarding the molecular mechanisms of resistance, all ciprofloxacin resistant isolates hosted the mutant type Thr-86-Ile region of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of the gyrA gene. In all erythromycin resistant isolates, the transitional mutations A2075G and A2074C in the 23S rRNA gene were only amplified. Molecular screening of tetracycline resistance genes indicated that the vast majority of Campylobacter isolates (92.3%) were positive for the tet(O) gene. In summary, these findings and especially the very high and medium rates of resistance for tetracyclines and fluroquinolones, respectively recommend that a continuous monitoring of Campylobacter isolates susceptibility in combination with the proper use of antimicrobials in livestock production is of great importance for public health.
