Antimicrobial resistance profile of Campylobacter jejuni from sheep and poultry: Insights from Kashmir, India

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne gastrointestinal infections in humans globally. This study investigates the antimicrobial resistance profile of C. jejuni isolates from sheep and poultry. A total of 50 C. jejuni isolates previously isolated from poultry cloacal swabs and sheep rectal swabs/abortion samples were screened for antimicrobial resistance against fluoroquinolones ( gyr A gene), β-lactams ( bla OXA-61 gene), and tetracyclines ( tet [O] gene). A total of 20% isolates carried the gyr A gene with Thr-86-Ile mutation in the QRDR, 22% of the isolates exhibited β-lactam resistance ( bla OXA-61), and 14% carried the tet (O) gene for tetracycline resistance. The OR625189 and OR625190 sequences corresponding to gyr A and mutant gyr A gene were deposited in GenBank. No statistically significant differences in resistance gene distribution were observed between poultry and sheep isolates, suggesting shared ecological drivers across host species. Phylogenetic comparisons revealed a high degree of similarity between C. jejuni isolates from Kashmir, India and those from Spain and Türkiye, highlighting the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. These findings reinforce the urgent need for strengthened surveillance, prudent antibiotic use in animal husbandry, and integrated One Health strategies to mitigate the spread of resistant Campylobacter strains safeguarding both animal and human health.