Antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. isolated from broilers in small poultry processing operations in Trinidad

The study determined the frequency of resistance of Campylobacter spp. isolated from broilers in small processing operations in 6 health divisions of Trinidad using the disc diffusion method. Of 319 isolates of Campylobacter jejuni tested, 312 (97.8%) exhibited resistance to one or more of the six antimicrobial agents used compared with 176 (97.2%) of 181 isolates of C. coli. The frequency of resistance amongst isolates was statistically significantly (P < 0.05, χ2) different across health divisions. Overall, the resistance was highest to sulfamethoxazole/trimetoprim (SXT) (87.0%) and ciprofloxacin (86.6%) and lowest to gentamicin (5.4%) and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05, χ2). The relatively high resistance to SXT and ciprofloxacin was not unexpected since both antimicrobial agents are routinely used in the poultry industry in Trinidad and Tobago but may pose therapeutic problems in broiler-borne gastroenteritis in humans.