The aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of Campylobacter infection in broiler chickens, raised in intensive production conditions, and to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of recovered Campylobacter isolates. A total of 590 cloacal swab samples were taken from 13 broiler chicken flocks in the North East of Tunisia. All samples were tested for the presence of thermophilic Campylobacter by culture and PCR, targeting the mapA and ceuE genes, respectively. Susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs was tested against 8 antibiotics. Prevalence of Campylobacter infection, relationship with geographic origins and seasons, antimicrobial resistance rates and patterns were analyzed. Total prevalence of Campylobacter infection in broiler flocks was in the range of 22.4%, with a predominance of C. jejuni (68.9%), followed by C. coli (31.1%). Positive association was highlighted between the infection level and the season (P < 0.001), but no link was emphasized considering the geographic origin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed very high resistance rates detected against macrolide, tetracycline, quinolones, and chloramphenicol, ranging from 88.6% to 100%. Lower resistance prevalence was noticed for β-lactams (47% and 61.4%) and gentamicin (12.9%). 17 R-type patterns were observed, and a common pattern was found in 30.3% of isolates. This study provides updates and novel data on the prevalence and the AMR of broiler campylobacters in Tunisia, revealing the occurrence of high resistance to several antibiotics and emphasizing the requirement of better surveillance and careful regulation of antimicrobials use.

Despite the importance of eggs in the human diet, and unlike other products, for which food safety risks are widely investigated, information on the occurrence of Campylobacter and antimicrobial resistance in eggs and layer hen flocks is lacking in Tunisia. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of Campylobacter and the antimicrobial resistance in layer hens and on eggshells. Thus, 366 cloacal swabs and 86 eggshell smear samples were collected from five layer hen farms in the North-East of Tunisia. The occurrence of Campylobacter infection, and the antimicrobial resistance rates and patterns, were analyzed. The occurrence rates of Campylobacter infection in laying hens and eggshells were 42.3% and 25.6%, respectively, with a predominance of C. jejuni (68.4%, 81.9%), followed by C. coli (31.6%, 18.2%). The antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high resistance rates against macrolides, tetracycline, quinolones, β-lactams, and chloramphenicol, with percentages ranging from 35.5% to 100%. All isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) and five resistance patterns were observed. These results emphasized the risk to consumer health and the need to establish a surveillance strategy to control and prevent the emergence and the spread of resistant strains of Campylobacter in poultry and humans.