MOLECULAR DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI IN BROILERS WITH REGARDS TO BIOFILM AND VIRULENCE GENES.

Campylobacter is one of the most frequent bacterial foodborne pathogens worldwide. Poultry is the disease's most clinically significant host species. Despite their importance to public health, the virulence factors and mechanisms that drive C. jejuni pathogenicity are poorly understood, and the relationships between these genes and strain origins remain unclear. In this study, we intended to examine the prevalence, virulence and biofilm formation genes, and antibiotic resistance of C. jejuni isolated from cloacal swab samples of commercial chicken in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. Random samples of fresh chickens (n = 103) were collected from different retail markets. To identify the virulence genes (flaA, cdtB, and cadF genes), polymerase chain reaction was employed in conjunction with the 23S rRNA and mapA genes unique to Campylobacter and C. jejuni, respectively. 17 (16.5%) of the 103 samples had positive Campylobacter spp. tests. C. jejuni was present in nine (8.7%) of the positive isolates. In 77%, 100%, and 88.8% of C. jejuni strains, the genes flaA, cdtB, and cadF were detected, respectively. The antibiotic resistance of the C. jejuni isolates was determined via the disc diffusion method and was observed most frequently to ceftazidime (88.9%), ceftriaxone (77.8%), cephalexin (77.8%), erythromycin (66.6%), while low resistance to levofloxacin (11.1%), and chloramphenicol (11.1%) was detected. These findings highlight the high prevalence of Campylobacter in fresh chickens, which is thought to be the main risk factor for domestically obtained campylobacteriosis in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]