Antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. isolated from clinical specimens

Abstract

       Campylobacter spp. is the cause of epidemic food poisoning in developed and developing countries. It is one of the major causes of diarrhea in humans. Campylobacter was found causing acute gastroenteritis, colitis, meningitis, appendicitis, arthritis, Reiter’syndrome and Guillian Barre syndrome. Campylobacter jejuni resist to tetracycline and fluoroquinolones group, the resistant rate was increased a new problem of infectious diseases. Anaerobic bacteria section, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health received the samples from the Emerging infectious diseases surveillance project and other clinical specimens from hospitals during 2005 to 2009. The samples of this study composed of Campylobacter spp. 67 isolates as C. jejuni subsp. jejuni 33 isolates C.fetus subsp. fetus 28 isolates, and C.coli 6 isolates representing the 49.25%, 8.96% and 41.79%, respectively. Nine antibiotic; amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, azithromycin, ciprofl oxacin, cholramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, sulfatrimethroprim and tetracycline were tested by E-test susceptibility methods. It was found that all 3 species of Campylobacter had resistant rate to ciprofloxacin and sulfa-trimethroprim but not resisted to amoxycillin/clavulanic acid and chloramphenicol. Azithromycin had the lowest MIC90 0.125 μg/mL in C. jejuni subsp. jejuni but on the other side azithromycin had highest MIC90 256 μg/mL in C. coli as same as erythromycin in C. coli. C. fetus was found all susceptible to other 7 antibiotics whereas C. jejuni had resistant rate to ampicillin, tetracycline and slightly resistant to gentamicin and C.coli has resistant rate to ampicillin, tetracycline, azithromycin and erythromycin