Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter jejuni in Raw Fish Meat and Retail Fish Market Environments in Bareilly, India: Implications for Food Safety From a One Health Surveillance Perspe

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of global foodborne gastroenteritis. The prevalence of this pathogen in nontraditional foods like fish is particularly worrisome. This study investigated the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and contamination‐associated factors of C. jejuni in raw fish meat and associated retail market environmental samples from a One Health surveillance perspective. A total of 260 samples of raw fish meat ( n  = 200) and environmental swabs ( n  = 60) were collected from three major fish markets. Selective culturing, biochemical characterization, and PCR‐based hipO gene detection were followed for bacterial isolation and identification. Of the 260 samples examined, 21 (8.08%) samples were positive for C. jejuni , although prevalence varied substantially among sample types, with highest rates observed on chopping boards and floor swabs, and the lowest in raw fish meat. The chopping boards and floor swabs had the highest bacterial prevalence (33.3%), followed by the water buckets (20%). In contrast, a lower C. jejuni prevalence (4.0%) was noted in fish meat. Statistical analysis established a highly significant association between sample type and C. jejuni prevalence ( p  < 0.001). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high C. jejuni resistance to cephalothin (100%) and chloramphenicol (71.4%), whereas it was moderately resistant to cotrimoxazole (52.4%) and tetracycline (47.6%). A considerable number of isolates (47.6%, n  = 10/21) exhibited multidrug resistance patterns. The findings suggest that contaminated processing environments may contribute to cross‐contamination of raw fish during retail handling. The study further highlights the needs for improved sanitation, regular monitoring, and antimicrobial stewardship to attenuate Campylobacter spp.‐associated fish‐borne infections.