Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Pathology and Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kufa, Iraq.
2
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Al-Qadisiyah University, Iraq.
Abstract
Poultry and poultry products, particularly contaminated broiler meat, are widely recognized as primary sources of Campylobacter infection in humans.This study aimed to assess the prevalence Campylobacter jejuni and coliin broilers and to identify genes associated with their pathogenicity. Samples were taken from the ceca of 200 broilers slaughtered at Faith Al-Qasim slaughterhouse between January and June 2022. These samples were inoculated on Campylobacter selective agar at 42°C for 48–72 hours. Confirmatory tests included oxidase, catalase, and indoxyl hydrolysis. Then, DNA extracted from pure cultures was subjected to singleplexPCRto detect the hipO gene for C. jejuni and theglyA gene for C. coli. Additionally, PCR was used to evaluate the presence of six virulence genes:aspA, cdtA,cdtC, ciaB, pldA, and dnaJ. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 44.5%. Considering species identification, 55 (61.7%) isolates were C. jejuni, 18 (20.22%) isolates C. coli and 16 (17.9%) isolates belong to other Campylobacter spp. In C. jejuni isolates, the most prevalent virulence genes werecdtA (87.2%), cdtC (85.4%), aspA (85.4%), ciaB (83.6%), dnaJ (81.8%), and pldA (76.3%). For C. coli isolates, the most frequent virulence factors were pldA (88.8%), aspA (83.3%), dnaJ (83.3%), ciaB (83.3%), cdtA (77.7%), and cdtC (77.7%). This study reveals a significant presence of Campylobacter species with high prevalence of critical virulence genes in broiler chickens, highlighting the need for ongoing research and robust food safety programs to mitigate the risks of severe infections and enhance public health.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)
View on SCiNiTO