Antibiogram and Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) Index of Campylobacter Jejuni Isolated from Fresh Produce

Multiple antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter jejuni has been increasing significantly due to the excessive use of antibiotics in poultry farming. The usage of manure as fertilizer for growing vegetables has posed a risk of contamination with antibiotics resistance C. jejuni strain. Several types of vegetables that are commonly consumed as raw will pose significant risk of contracting campylobacteriosis which is difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. The goal of this study was to characterize the C. jejuni isolated from selected vegetables against 10 types of antibiotics from six classes of antibiotics commonly used in clinical and agricultural setting, namely aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, glycopeptides, macrolides, beta-lactams, and tetracyclines. Thirteen C. jejuni isolates were subjected to antibiotic resistance test using disk diffusion method on Muller Hinton agar. The antibiotic resistance profile was analysed and multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index was determined. C. jejuni isolates were found to be highly resistant towards beta-lactam class at 80.8% and glycopeptides at 76.9%. However, they were sensitive towards fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides at 5.1 and 7.7%, respectively. Eleven C. jejuni isolates had MAR index more than 0.20 which indicated the contamination was from high risk sources. Thus, more biosafety measures are required to prevent C. jejuni cross contamination on farms and at retail outlets