A total of 265 chicken parts were collected from 15 wet markets and 15 supermarkets in Metro Manila, Philippines. Campylobacter spp. was isolated on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar plates and identified through biochemical tests and PCR amplification of genus- and species-specific genes. Antimicrobial resistance profiles were determined following the protocols of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Two hundred and seven (78.1%) Campylobacter spp. isolates were obtained. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were detected in 170 (64.2%) and 32 (12.1%) of the samples, respectively. Liver and skin samples showed the greatest levels of contamination. Most of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin (98.6%), erythromycin (98.6%), nalidixic acid (98.1%), tetracycline (94.2%), gentamicin (65.2%), and chloramphenicol (52.7%). The results indicated that poultry meat sold in markets in Metro Manila is contaminated with drug-resistant Campylobacter spp.
Keywords: Campylobacter; chicken; drug resistance; prevalence.