Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter Isolates from Humans and Chickens in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

In this study, the isolation and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains from chickens and humans in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, were analyzed. Two hundred and ten human and 220 chicken samples were analyzed between October 2007 and April 2008. Seventeen human and 160 chicken Campylobacter species were isolated. The overall prevalence of thermophilic campylobacters was 8% and 72.7% in humans and chickens, respectively. In humans, 94.1% of the isolates were C. jejuni and 5.9% were C. coli. C. jejuni was a predominant species of thermophilic campylobacters in all categories of patients. In chicken, 92.5% of thermophilic campylobacters isolated were C. jejuni and 7.5% were C. coli. Among the 16 isolates of C. jejuni in humans, 18.8%, 12.5%, 12.5%, 18.8%, 25%, and 22.2% were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and tetracycline, respectively, whereas among the 148 C. jejuni isolates from chicken, 17.5%, 14.9%, 12.2%, and 13.5% were resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline, respectively. Among the 12 isolates of C. coli in chicken, 16.6%, 8.3%, and 16.6% were resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline, respectively. The overall level of resistance was not significantly different in C. jejuni and C. coli isolates of both humans and poultry. The detection of resistant isolates for commonly used antimicrobials may cause a threat to humans and chickens by limiting therapeutic options.