Epidemiological Data and Antimicrobial Resistance of <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. in Portugal from 13 Years of Surveillance

oleh: Andreia Duarte, Luísa Pereira, Maria-Leonor Lemos, Miguel Pinto, João Carlos Rodrigues, Rui Matias, Andrea Santos, PTCampyNet, Mónica Oleastro

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-02-01

Deskripsi

This study extensively analyzed campylobacteriosis surveillance in Portugal from 2009 to 2021, aiming to investigate demographic shifts, seasonal variations, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within <i>Campylobacter</i> isolates. Surveillance network and sentinel laboratory-based system data revealed a substantial under-notification of campylobacteriosis cases, suggesting an underestimated disease burden. Notification rates exhibited a paradigm shift, with a notable prevalence among the pediatric population, particularly in children aged 1–4 years, diverging from European reports. Additionally, an emerging trend of <i>Campylobacter</i> infections in younger adults (15–44 years) was observed. The study unveiled a unique seasonal distribution of cases, defying typical summer peaks seen elsewhere. AMR analysis revealed high resistance to ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, in both <i>C. jejuni</i> (93.7% and 79.2%, respectively) and <i>C. coli</i> (96.5% and 93.2%, respectively), stable throughout the studied period (2013–2021). <i>C. coli</i> exhibited significantly higher resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin, ampicillin and ertapenem compared to <i>C. jejuni</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) data demonstrated the distribution of resistance markers across diverse sequence types, challenging the notion of a clonal origin for multidrug-resistant isolates. In conclusion, the study highlights the need for enhanced surveillance and raises concerns about alarming AMR levels, recommending the implementation of whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based surveillance for a deeper comprehension of disease patterns and an evolving AMR landscape.