Molecular Epidemiology and Resistance Profile of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli Strains Isolated from Different Sources in Brazil

Aims: The objectives of this study were to genotype a total of 48 Campylobacter jejuni and 39 Campylobacter coli strains isolated in Brazil from 1995 to 2016 by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and to determine their resistance profile. The presence or points of mutation in the related resistance genes was verified. Results: By MLST, C. jejuni strains were typed into 36 STs and C. coli strains were typed into 27 STs. A total of 70.8% of C. jejuni and 35.9% of C. coli were resistant to at least one antimicrobial tested. The tet(O) gene was detected in 43.7% C. jejuni and in 12.8% C. coli. The ermB gene was not detected and one C. jejuni presented the mutation in the 23S rRNA gene. Besides, 58.3% C. jejuni presented the substitution T86I in the quinolone resistance-determining region of gyrA and 15.4% C. coli presented the substitution T38I. The cmeB gene was detected in 97.9% C. jejuni and in 97.4% C. coli. Conclusion: The presence of C. jejuni and C. coli resistant to some antimicrobial agents of clinical use is of public health concern. The presence of STs shared between Brazilian strains and isolates of different countries is of concern since it might suggest a possible spread of these shared types.