Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from chicken meat harbour several virulence factors and represent a potential risk to humans

This study aimed to evaluate the virulence characteristics of 55 Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from chicken carcasses. These characteristics included antibiotic resistance, the presence of virulence genes, and the transcription virulence genes, changes after the inoculation of Caco-2 cells and the phylogenetic relationship between strains. Resistance to amoxicillin and norfloxacin was observed in 34/55–61.8% and 26/55–47.3% respectively, and resistance to tetracycline was also observed (18/55–32.7%). The genes flaA, pldA, cadF, and ciaB and the CDT complex were detected in 41/55 (74.5%), 35/55 (63.6%), 37/55 (67.3%), 37/55 (67.3%) and 36/55 (65.5%) strains respectively, and transcripts for the ciaB and dnaJ genes evaluated in 46 strains were detected in 60.9%. In Caco-2 cells, loss of cell confluence was observed. Genetic heterogeneity among these strains was confirmed by RAPD-PCR. The data indicate the potential role of these C. jejuni strains in the pathogenesis of human diseases, emphasising the need for vigilance and strict control during production to protect the health of the consumer.