Potentially pathogenic Campylobacter species among farm animals in rural areas of Limpopo province, South Africa: A case study of chickens and cattles

This study investigated the prevalence of thermophilic pathogenic Campylobacter in farm settlements in South Africa. Six hundred freshly voided faeces samples were collected from chicken and cattle (300 each) and analyzed on mCCDA supplemented with campylobacter supplement and incubated at 42 degrees C. Out of this, 106 (35.3%) of the chicken faeces were positive for Campylobacter, 58 (19.3%) from cattle faeces were positive for Campylobacter. Ninety (84.9%) isolates from chicken were C. jejuni, while 16 (15.1%) were C. coli. Of the 58 isolates from cattle, 42 (72.4%) were C. jejuni, while 16 (26.7%) were C. coli. C. jejuni was more prevalent in chicken and cattle. The prevalence was higher in chicken than cattle, the prevalence was statistically significant at P<0.005. Diarrhea faeces from chicken and cattle contain more C. jejuni than C. coli. The prevalence skewed more to chicken than cattle. Different levels of resistance were noted amongst isolates from chicken and cattle. Study of prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone) showed that C. coli from cattle were more resistant to this antibiotic (C. jejuni, 33.3%; C. coli, 56.3%); from chicken (C. jejuni, 29%; C. coli, 37.5%). Varied resistance was shown to other antibiotics by the isolates. The resistance by isolates to ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone is worrisome since it is used as therapeutic agent against campylobacteriosis. Of more concern is the multiple resistances shown by these isolates to the applied antimicrobials as resistance genes can be transferred to other microbes in the environment horizontally.