Assessing antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli and its association with antimicrobial use in Canadian turkey flocks

Abstract

Turkeys are important sources of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter. A total of 1063 isolates were obtained from 293 turkey flocks across Canada between 2016 and 2021 to evaluate their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence, patterns, distribution, and association with antimicrobial use (AMU). A high proportion of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were resistant to tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones, despite the very low use of these drugs. C. jejuni isolates had a higher probability of being resistant to tetracyclines than C. coli isolates. The chance of C. jejuni isolates being resistant to fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and lincosamides was lower compared to C. coli. Isolates from the western region had a higher probability of being resistant to fluoroquinolones than isolates from Ontario. Isolates from Ontario had higher odds of being resistant to tetracyclines than isolates from Quebec. No associations were noted between the resistance and use of the same antimicrobial, but the use of certain antimicrobial classes may have played a role in the maintenance of resistance in Campylobacter (fluoroquinolone resistance – bacitracin and streptogramin use, tetracycline resistance – flavophospholipids and streptogramins use, macrolide resistance – flavophospholipid use). Low-level multidrug-resistant Campylobacter was observed indicating a stable AMR in turkeys. This study provided insights aiding future AMU and AMR surveillance.

Monitoring antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter isolates of chickens and turkeys at the slaughter establishment level across the United States, 2013–2021

“…The highest prevalence of resistance in both C. coli and C. jejuni isolates derived from chickens and turkeys was identified against tetracycline. This finding agrees with previous studies from North America and worldwide [ 9 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 32 ]. Tetracyclines are commonly used to treat and prevent bacterial poultry diseases [ 33 ], and the selection pressure of AMU is a major factor in the selection of tetracycline resistance.…”

“…The study results indicated that in both chickens and turkeys, C. coli isolates had higher AMR rates than C. jejuni isolates for most of the antimicrobials examined. This finding agrees with previous studies that described a higher proportion of MDR C. coli isolates from poultry [ 11 , 15 ]. In contrast, it was described that C. jejuni isolates have a lower rate of AMR, but they better survive the food processing environment that aids them to enter the food chain and infect humans [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…This finding agrees with two recent studies from the USA that showed a decrease in the probability of resistance to antimicrobials in Campylobacter isolated from chicken and turkey samples at retail [ 25 ] and slaughter [ 26 ]. Additional studies from the USA [ 27 ] and Canada [ 11 ] described a reduction of AMR in foodborne pathogens in chickens and turkeys. These are encouraging findings and might be related to the policy changes to AMU in poultry and livestock sectors, such as the veterinary oversight of the use of medically important antimicrobials in feed and water and the ban on using antimicrobials as growth promoters [ 28 , 29 ].…”

“…In the USA, since 2005, fluoroquinolones have not been used in water to treat poultry bacterial infections [ 39 ], and the use of fluoroquinolones on turkey [ 40 ] and chicken [ 41 ] farms is limited, which points to the impact of non-AMU factors that influence the selection of fluoroquinolone resistance. Previous research studies have documented the presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter isolates in poultry in the absence of fluoroquinolone use [ 11 , 16 ]. Moreover, a recent Australian study suggested that the infection source of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter in poultry might be attributable to humans, wild birds, or pests [ 16 ].…”

“…Chickens and turkeys are important sources of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter [ 11 , 12 ] as fluoroquinolone-and tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter isolates have been identified previously at chicken and turkey farms, slaughter plants, and retail stores in North America [ 11 , 13 – 15 ] and worldwide [ 9 , 16 ].…”