A total of 1372 Campylobacter isolates (1107 Campylobacter coli and 265 Campylobacter jejuni) were obtained from 3462 samples collected from slaughterhouses and farms in three representative regions of China (Shandong, Guangdong, and Shanghai) over three successive years (2013-2015). Of these, 84 (84/1372, 6.1%) were erm(B)-positive, and all 84 positive isolates were identified as C. coli (83 chicken isolates and one swine isolate). The prevalence of erm(B) in Campylobacter isolates was compared amongst the different regions and between the three years investigated. The rates of erm(B)-positive Campylobacter in Guangdong increased remarkably over the experimental period (3.8% to 22.8%), while their higher rates observed in Shanghai (4.4%) and Shandong (2.4%) occurred in 2015 and 2014. Further, 72 erm(B)-positive isolates were associated with the type V and VI multidrug-resistance genomic islands (MDRGIs), which have previously only been identified in human Campylobacter isolates, while one isolate of chicken origin contained the type II MDRGI, which has previously been detected in swine isolates. Expansion of the erm(B) in Campylobacter with similar PFGE and MLST type from chicken isolates from Shanghai and Guangdong to human isolates identified previously in Shanghai was also observed. The findings in this study confirmed previously observed trend of dissemination of erm(B) and MDRGIs in zoonotic Campylobacter isolates and provide new insights into the prevalence of erm(B)-positive Campylobacter isolates in chickens and swine from three representative regions of China over a consecutive 3-year period.
Keywords: Campylobacter; Dissemination of erm(B) and its associated MDRGIs; Food animals; Multidrug-resistance genomic island; erm(B).
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