Background and Objective: Campylobacter is a common type of bacteria in humans and poultry, which generally accounts for various diseases in humans, such as gastroenteritis. The poultry digestive system contains a high level of these bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of C. jejuni and C. coli in the poultry liver packed for marketing and determine the antibiotic resistance of the isolates.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the spring of 2016 in the city of Hamadan, Iran. A total of 80 samples of packed chicken liver were collected from the stores supplying meat and poultry products in Hamadan. The enrichment of the liver samples was performed in brucella broth; subsequently, separation was carried out on Campylobacter selective agar. The presence of bacteria was confirmed by the implementation of chemical diagnostic tests and direct microscopic observation. Finally, the antibiotic resistance of the isolates was tested using disk diffusion method.
Results: According to the results, Campylobacter had a prevalence rate of 90%, 73.61% and 26.39% of which were C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively. Out of the 12 antibiotic discs used in this study, the highest resistance (79%) and sensitivity (99%) rates were observed for cotrimoxazole (10 µg) and gentamycin (10 µg), respectively.
Conclusion: The packed poultry liver in Hamadan had a relatively high prevalence of C. jejuni and C. coli. Therefore, the consumers should be careful about the cooking time and using this food. Accordingly, they can prevent the dissemination of this bacteria by cooking the liver at a temperature of above 70°C for 20 min and properly washing the devices before cooking this product. Additionally, the elderly, children, and those with immunodeficiency are recommended to avoid eating poultry liver.