Antimicrobial resistance of Arcobacter and Campylobacter from broiler carcasses

The antimicrobial resistance of Arcobacter (n = 174) and Campylobacter (n = 215) isolated from broiler carcasses in a US poultry processing plant was examined. For Arcobacter, 93.7% (n = 163) were resistant to one or more antimicrobials and 71.8% (n = 125) were resistant to two or more antimicrobials. For Campylobacter, 99.5% (n = 214) were resistant to one or more antimicrobials and 28.4% (n = 61) were resistant to two or more antimicrobials. Arcobacter butzleri isolates were particularly resistant to clindamycin (90%; n = 126), azithromycin (81.4%; n = 114) and nalidixic acid (23.6%; n = 33). Resistance to tetracycline was very high in Campylobacter jejuni (99.5%) and Campylobacter coli (96.3%). Our results demonstrate substantial resistance in Arcobacter and Campylobacter to common antimicrobial agents.