First molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from poultry meat in Yemen

Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne bacterial infection that is of global concern and responsible for 90% of campylobacter-associated diarrheal diseases in humans. To date, there is no data on the prevalence of C. jejuni in poultry meat in Yemen. This study is the first one that aimed to molecularly detect and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of C. jejuni isolates from poultry meat in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. Three hundred and thirty samples of poultry meat (180 local and 150 imported) were collected from various fresh poultry shops and slaughterhouses in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, during the period from 2023 to 2024. C. jejuni isolates were identified using phenotypic methods and confirmed using molecular techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequence alignment, and phylogenetic analysis. The Kirby-Bauer method was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the isolates. The overall rate of C. jejuni was detected in 40/330 (12.12%) poultry meat samples, 38/180 (21.1%) local meat, and 2/150 (1.3%) imported meat (P = 0.003; Odds Ratio (OR) = 6.57). From local meat, 18 (10%) isolates were recovered from intestinal samples, and only two were recovered from skin samples (1.3%) of the imported meat. The prevalence of C. jejuni peaked in the autumn (12, 3.7%; OR = 1.92). All C. jejuni isolates were completely resistant to macrolide antibiotics and clindamycin and highly resistant to aminoglycosides. In addition, the sensitivity of C. jejuni isolates was reported to be 100% for ampicillin and chloramphenicol and 90.0% for ciprofloxacin. All C. jejuni isolates exhibited multidrug resistance, with the majority being resistant to five antibiotics (60%). These findings revealed that multi-antibiotic-resistant C. jejuni was recovered from poultry meat, particularly local meat. Consequently, it is imperative to establish policies that will mitigate the transmission of animal diseases, restrict the use of antibiotics in poultry farming, provide slaughterhouse employees with training on the proper handling of meat, and enforce strict standards for meat imports.