Prevalence, Virulence Genes, Phylogenetic Analysis, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of <i>Helicobacter</i> Species in Chicken Meat and Their Associated Environment at Retail Shops in Egypt
Amina Mohamed Elrais,
Walid S. Arab,
Khalid Ibrahim Sallam,
Walaa Abd Elmegid,
Fatma Elgendy,
Walid Elmonir,
Kálmán Imre,
Adriana Morar,
Viorel Herman,
Haitham Elaadli
Affiliations
Amina Mohamed Elrais
Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13511, Egypt
Walid S. Arab
Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13511, Egypt
Khalid Ibrahim Sallam
Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansura University, Mansura 35516, Egypt
Walaa Abd Elmegid
Department of Nutrition, Benha University Hospital, Benha University, Benha 13511, Egypt
Fatma Elgendy
Department of Animal Wealth Development, Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13511, Egypt
Walid Elmonir
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (Zoonoses), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
Kálmán Imre
Department of Animal Production and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Adriana Morar
Department of Animal Production and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Viorel Herman
Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Haitham Elaadli
Department of Animal Hygiene and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21526, Egypt
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and Helicobacter pullorum (H. pullorum) are frequently reported pathogens in humans and poultry, respectively. Nevertheless, the source of H. pylori is still unclear. This study aimed to detect Helicobacter spp. in chicken carcasses and to assess the antibiogram and the virulence genes of Helicobacter isolates. Three hundred chicken meat samples (100 each of chicken breast, liver, and gizzard), besides 60 swab samples from chicken processing surfaces, were collected from retail shops in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, and examined for the prevalence of H. pylori and H. pullorum. The 16S rRNA of three H. pylori and two H. pullorum isolates were sequenced to determine the genetic relationship between these two Helicobacter spp. Of the 300 chicken samples tested, 16 (5.33%) and 14 (4.67%) were positive for H. pylori and H. pullorum, respectively. Multiplex PCR revealed that the virulence genes vacuolating cytotoxin A (vacA)s1, cytotoxin-associated gene A (cagA), and restriction endonuclease-replacing gene A (hrgA) were detected in 66.7%, 77.8%, and 100% of H. pylori strains tested, respectively. H. pylori showed the highest resistance for clarithromycin, while H. pullorum exhibited the highest resistance towards erythromycin and ciprofloxacin. The study concluded that the chicken meat and giblets are potential sources of the virulent and antimicrobial-resistant strains of H. pylori of human origin.
