Emerging fluoroquinolone and macrolide resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates and their serotypes in Thai children from 1991 to 2000

This study investigated fluoroquinolone, macrolide resistances and serotype distributions among Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from children in Bangkok and rural settings during 1991-2000. Phenotypic identification, serotyping, and susceptibility testing were performed by standard microbiological procedures. The predominant serotypes of C. jejuni were Lior 36, 2 and 4 and of C. coli were Lior 8, 29 and 55. Resistance to nalidixic acid increased significantly during 1991-2000 and the frequency of isolates resistant to both nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin in Bangkok was significantly greater than in rural settings. In 1996-2000, a significant trend was observed in C. jejuni isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin from Bangkok but not for macrolide resistance from both settings. In summary, fluoroquinolone resistance among C. jejuni and C. coli isolates became widespread in both Bangkok and rural settings in Thailand in the 1990s while widespread resistance to macrolides was undetected.