OCCURRENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERNS OF CAMPYLOBACTER AND ARCOBACTER ISOLATED FROM RAW MEAT IN SUPERMARKETS IN BANGKOK

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Campylobacter and Arcobacter from raw meat in supermarkets in Bangkok. A total of 352 meat samples from chicken (n=104), pork (n=104), beef (n=104) and duck (n=40) were randomly collected from 52 retail stores during June to October 2013. The semiquantitative method and membrane filtration method were used for Campylobacter and Arcobacter isolation, respectively. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibilities of 375 Campylobacter and Arcobacter isolates to 5 antimicrobials were examined. Our findings showed that the vast majority of duck meat (95.0%) and chicken meat (83.7%) was contaminated with Campylobacter, while the low contamination rates were found in pork (9.6%) and beef (1.0%). For Arcobacter, more than 90.0% of duck and chicken meat, 68.0% of pork and 35.6% of beef samples sold in Bangkok were positive for Arcobacter. Most Campylobacter positive samples had low level of contamination (2.3 MPN/g). The most common resistance observed among Campylobacter isolates was ciprofloxacin (74.0%), followed by nalidixic acid (67.9%), tetracycline (58.0%), erythromycin (6.9%) and gentamicin (2.3%). For Arcobacter, the majority of isolates only exhibited high resistance to nalidixic acid (60.9%). In conclusion, this study reveals that retail meat, especially poultry meat, sold in supermarkets in Bangkok was frequently contaminated with Campylobacter and Arcobacter. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter isolates in our study were more diverse than those of Arcobacter isolates. Our results highlight the need for improved hygienic measures along food processing and continuous antimicrobial resistance monitoring program to support control and prevention of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic bacteria that can be transmitted to humans via food chain.