Phenotypic Characterization of Campylobacter Species from Ruminants Slaughtered at Major Abattoirs in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Campylobacter is a leading cause of bacterial gastro-enteritis worldwide. This study determined the phenotypic characteristics of Campylobacter from ruminants slaugh-tered in two major abattoirs in Ilorin metropolis of Kwara state, Nigeria. In total, 350 fecal samples were collected from beef cattle (n = 200) and goat (n = 150). Campylobacter was isolated and phenotypically characterized using standard bacteriological methods. Seventy (20%) of the samples were positive for Campylobacter. The isolation rate of Campylobacter from female animals (11.71%) was higher than that of males (8.28%), albeit there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). Similarly, the rate of isolation of Campylobacter from bovine (12.86%) was not statistically significant (P > 0.05) from that of caprine (7.14%) species. Only five (7.14%) of the total isolates were Campylobacter jejuni. All isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid and pan-susceptible to gentamicin, but there were different rates of antimicrobial resistance to other tested antibiotics. There was also high rate of resistance to cefotaxime (83%) and ampicillin (76%), and 53% of the isolates displayed multidrug resistance phenotypes. The study established 20% Campylobacter contamination of ruminants slaughtered in the two major abattoirs in Ilorin, and most of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Further study is recommended to molecularly characterize the spe-cies of Campylobacter circulating in the study area.