Prevalence of spp. in broilers in North Lebanon.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Great attention has been given recently to the prevalence of different spp. in poultry since the latter are considered the major contributing reservoir of human campylobacteriosis. In Lebanon, the occurrence of campylobacteriosis in humans is high. The aim of our first-of-its-kind study in the country was to estimate the prevalence of spp. in broilers from a convenient sample of farms in North Lebanon.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred twenty-five fecal samples were collected from 25 broiler farms, which were selected, examined, and classified according to their biosecurity level and rearing system. All samples were subjected to qualitative microbiological culture testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect spp.

RESULTS

Despite the reported use of antibiotics, cell culture and PCR were positive for 44% and 88%, respectively. This implies that this bacterium is resistant to antibiotics used on the farms. Furthermore, infection rate was higher in open (92%) than in closed (85%) system farms. All farms with poor biosecurity measures, and 82% of farms with good biosecurity measures had infections, and the difference was significant (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our results show that campylobacteriosis was found prevalent among broilers in North Lebanon, making them potential carriers of spp. Future studies should include antibiotic susceptibility testing to check the susceptibility pattern of isolates.