Introduction: In recent years, the increase in poultry meat consumption and food safety concerns have made the control of foodborne illnesses essential.
Campylobacter is one of the most important causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans, and poultry, especially broiler chickens, are considered the main source of its transmission.
Campylobacter jejuni and
Campylobacter coli species are transmitted through contaminated poultry meat, water, or direct contact and pose a threat to public health. Given the lack of effective measures to reduce contamination in the poultry production chain, identifying and monitoring this bacterium is necessary. Therefore, this study was designed and conducted to detect
Campylobacter species using molecular methods from broiler flocks in
Kerman City. Materials & Methods: In this study, samples were collected from the liver and spleen of ۲۰ broiler flocks at an industrial slaughterhouse in
Kerman during the winter of ۲۰۲۴. DNA extraction was performed using the SinaClon kit according to the standard protocol. For the detection of
Campylobacter and its species, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reaction was performed with three specific primers, including the ۱۶S rRNA gene for the
Campylobacter genus, the mapA gene for C. jejuni, and the ceuE gene for C. coli. PCR products were electrophoresed on a ۱.۵% agarose gel and examined at ۷۵ volts for ۱.۵ hours.Results: In this study, out of ۲۰۰ swab samples examined, ۱۶ samples (۸%) were positive for
Campylobacter genus DNA in the PCR test. Among the ۱۶ positive samples, eight samples (۵۰%) contained C. jejuni and ۱۰ samples (۶۲.۵%) contained C. coli. Also, two samples were simultaneously infected with both C. jejuni and C. coli. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study indicate a relatively low prevalence of
Campylobacter in broiler flocks in
Kerman City. This lower contamination rate could be due to better management conditions on farms, differences in sampling methods, or other environmental and technical factors. Further investigations considering larger sample sizes, diverse geographical areas, and complementary diagnostic methods can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of
Campylobacter epidemiology in the poultry population.
