Antibiotic susceptibility and presence of virulence genes in arcobacter butzleri strains isolated from poultry, costa rica

Arcobacter butzleri, is an emerging potential foodborne zoonotic pathogenthat has been classified as a serious hazard for human health by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). In Costa Rica, there are several reports about Arcobacter, nevertheless there is scarce information about the adhesion, invasion and pathogenic features of this bacteria, or the virulence genes associated. Also, information regarding its susceptibility to antibiotics is controversial due to a lack of a standardized technique and interpretation guidelines. The aim of this work was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility and presence and frequency of several virulence genes in 26 strains of A. butzleri previously isolated in Costa Rica. There was an 87,5% resistance to nalidixic acid, and 8,3% resistance to gentamicin and ampicillin. Also, one strain was multiresistant showing simultaneous resistance to ampicillin, gentamicin and nalidixic acid. Gene cadF was the most prevalent one, being present in 10 of the 26 isolates analyzed, followed by genes ciaB and irgA that showed a 23% frequency. Genes mviN and tlyA were the less prevalent ones, being isolated just from one strain each. Eight isolates did not present any of the genes analyzed. Further research shall be done in order to establish a standardized technique for the determination of antibiotic susceptibility and interpretation guidelines for this bacteria as well as in the correlation among the presence of virulence genes and its expression.