Multidrug-resistant, hyperaerotolerant, and aerobic growth of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in retail broiler chicken meat in Selangor, Malaysia

Campylobacter spp. are one of the major zoonotic pathogens from chicken meat, causing world‑leading foodborne diseases. Thus, the aims of this study include monitoring the aerobic plate count (APC), the prevalence, and the characterisations (antimicrobial resistance, aerotolerance, aerobic growth, and plasmid profiling) of Campylobacter spp.. This study sampled 260 chicken thighs and drumsticks from retail supermarkets and wet markets in Selangor, Malaysia. Prevalence and microbial loads of Campylobacter spp. were assessed with the most probable number-polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR). Antibiotic resistance assay was conducted with disk diffusion assay with 12 types of antibiotics. Prevalence surveillance indicated that 68.9 % of Campylobacter spp., 47.7 % of C. jejuni, and 40.0 % of C. coli were detected. Co-contamination prevalence of C. jejuni and C. coli (28.46 %) occurred significantly higher than mono-contaminations, 19.62 % in C. jejuni and 11.54 % in C. coli, respectively. The microbial loads of Campylobacter spp., C. jejuni, and C. coli were 1.02 ± 0.83 log MPN/g, 0.60 ± 0.57 log MPN/g, and 0.53 ± 0.58 log MPN/g, respectively. C. jejuni and C. coli showed extremely high resistance against nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, cephalothin, and ampicillin. Campylobacter spp. isolated exhibited aberrance from their microaerophilic nature, with 87.5 % of C. jejuni being HAT (hyperaerotolerant) and 12.5 % of C. jejuni were AT (aerotolerant), while 100 % of C. coli were HAT. Alarmingly, the aerobic condition did not confine the growth, as 18.75 % of C. jejuni demonstrated aerobic growth. Hence, our study accentuates the current risk profile of C. jejuni and C. coli from retail broiler chicken meat.