Antimicrobial resistance among Campylobacter jejuni isolated from raw poultry meat at retail level in Denmark

Campylobacter jejuni isolated from raw poultry meat collected at retail shops in Denmark in the period 1996-2003 were tested for susceptibility to seven antimicrobial agents. The food samples consisted of raw chicken meat and other raw poultry meat of domestic or imported origin. The highest levels of resistance among C. jejuni were observed for tetracycline, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, whereas macrolide resistance was rarely detected.

C. jejuni originating from other poultry meat (mainly duck and turkey meat) exhibited the highest occurrences of antimicrobial resistance monitored; approximately one third of the isolates were tetracycline resistant (N=100). Among chicken meat isolates, the occurrence of tetracycline resistance was significantly higher (P <0.005) in C. jejuni isolated from imported chicken meat (N=88) than in C. jejuni from Danish chicken meat (N=367).

The same tendency was observed for chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin (P <0.05). The trends in resistance in the period 1996-2003 among C jejuni isolates from chicken meat indicate a decrease in the occurrence of resistance towards fluoroquinolones. This may be due to reduced application of fluoroquinolones for food animals.

Monitoring of the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in C. jejuni isolated from raw uncooked poultry has been performed on a yearly basis since 1996, thus providing useful insight into consumer exposure to antimicrobial-resistant C. jejuni.