Prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in broilers at retail in the Czech Republic and their antibiotic resistance

Infections caused by thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. are among the most frequent bacterial diseases from food in Europe. An important source of infection is poultry. The aim was to perform the first nationwide study on the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. at retail in the Czech Republic. Samples of chilled and frozen broiler chickens were obtained from supermarkets localized in the eight largest cities in the Czech Republic. From February to November 2009, a total of 120 samples of chilled and 120 samples of frozen poultry were collected and assessed. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed according to the ISO 10272-1:2006 and ISO 10272-2:2006 methods. The microdilution method was used to test the resistance of Campylobacter spp. isolates to selected antibiotics. High prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was detected in chilled poultry (75%). The prevalence was significantly lower (37%) in frozen poultry. The most prevalent species was Campylobacter jejuni detected in 70% of positive findings, followed by Campylobacter coli (18%). In 12% of cases, the samples were contaminated by both C. jejuni and C. coli. The species Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter upsaliensis were not detected. The highest resistance rates were to quinolone antibiotics and ampicillin.