Isolation and characterization of thermophilic Campylobacter species from geese raised in Kars region (Turkey) using cultural, molecular and mass spectrometry methods

Background: Thermophilic Campylobacters are found in the digestive tract of wild and domestic poultry and can be transmitted to humans following their fecal discharges. Aims: This study aimed to isolate thermophilic Campylobacter by culture from cloacal swabs of geese, commonly breeding in Kars region, and to identify the isolates by PCR and mass spectrometry. Antibiotics susceptibility and resistance genes of the isolates were also analysed. Methods: The study included 400 cloacal swab samples of clinically healthy geese. The samples were cultured on mCCDA medium following the pre-enrichment in Preston broth. Identification of the isolates was performed by phenotypic methods, PCR, and MALDI-TOF MS. Antibiotic susceptibility and resistance genes of the isolates were analysed with the disc diffusion method and PCR, respectively. Results: Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 157 (39.3%) samples. 151 (96.2%) isolates were identified Campylobacter jejuni and 6 (3.8%) Campylobacter coli by the phenotypic tests and PCR. Among 125 isolates analysed by MALDI-TOF MS, 119 (95.2%) were identified C. jejuni and 6 (4.8%) C. coli. The isolates’ resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and azithromycin were found 33.8%, 41.4%, 75.2%, 12.1%, and 7.6%, respectively. The distributions of blaOXA61, tetO, gyrA, and aphA-3 genes were 3.2%, 90.8%, 50.8%, and 52.7%, respectively. Conclusion: Since geese are raised in pastures in the Kars region, protecting and not polluting the existing natural environment and preventing their contact with wild birds will prevent the spread of these microorganisms.