Epidemiological Studies on Campylobacteriosis in some Governorates in Egypt

Abstract

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most frequently reported foodborne bacterial infections worldwide, which is mainly caused by the consumption of poultry and poultry products. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of disease prevalence, virulence genes and molecular characterization of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from chickens and human stool specimens collected from different governorates of Egypt. Four hundred thirty-five samples used in the current study were collected during the period between June 2015 and December 2016 from some governorates of Egypt (Cairo, Giza, Qalubia, Fayoum, and Minya), where 360 samples of chicken were collected. In addition, human stool samples (75 samples) were collected randomly from people with diarrhea who were admitted to different laboratories, people who had contact with chickens in backyards and slaughterhouses, and of children with diarrhea who were admitted to Abu Riesh Children's Hospital in Egypt. All samples were cultured for the isolation of C. jejuni and for the identification of isolates biochemically. PCR was used to confirm some selected isolates of C. jejuni. The results of this study revealed the isolation of C. jejuni with (20%), (16.66%) and (12%) of the intestinal, liver and meat content samples of broiler chickens, respectively. In addition, isolates of C. jejuni from laying hens were confirmed from enteric content samples (17.5%) and cloacal swabs (15%) and eggs (7.5%). As for human fecal samples, C. jejuni isolation rate was 17.33% from a total of 75 persons with diarrhea. The total isolates in this study reached 66 (15.17%) of C. jejuni from chicken and human samples. DNA sequencing of cadF gene from isolates obtained from chicken and human stool samples and the deduced phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the isolates were C. jejuni with homology results of 99-100%. The relatedness of C. jejuni isolates of present study with the reported sequences in NCBI database was determined and the result revealed that these isolates are closely related to C. jejuni isolates that caused human infections and outbreaks in other different countries. Because of unique virulence genes, Campylobacter jejuni isolated from chicken is of public health interest. As a consequence, the public health importance and methods of prevention and safety that protect against the transmission of this microorganism to humans were highlighted.