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1) To isolate and identify fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli from water, feed, and litter samples in poultry houses. 2) To determine the optimum concentration of nalidixic acid and fluoroquinolone resistance in C. jejuni and C. coli. 3) To determine the influence of various seasons and the frequency of isolation of fluoroquinolone-resistant C. jejuni and C. coli. 4) To conduct molecular characterization of fluoroquinolone resistance by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleotide sequencing, and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP).
FY 2000 Accomplishments: 1) Determined that chicken harbors fluoroquinolone antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter spp. These drug-resistant bacteria were exclusively present in "chicken liver" samples. 2) Determined that fresh turkey litter contains fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacters. 3) Found that all fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacters were resistant to at least five different antibiotics. 4) Found that the antibiotic-resistant profiles of chicken and turkey isolates were different. 5) Standardized a pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) method to characterize these isolates at the molecular level. 6) Found that a PCR-RFLP of flagellin gene indicate at least six different groups of Campylobacters.
FY 2001 Plans: 1) Complete and send results to CVM for review and prepare subsequent manuscripts for publications. 2) Collect more isolates for epidemiological studies. 3) Correlate the environmental data with the occurrence of Campylobacters. 4) Characterize all isolates at the molecular level ()PCR-RFLP, PFGE). 5) Correlate the environmental data (season/month) to the occurrence of Campylobacters.