Introduction:

Campylobacter spp. is a common agent of enterocolitis in humans. The virulence factors that have been most closely related to pathogenicity are motility due to the presence of flagella, the ability to adhere to and invade the eukaryotic cell, and the production of cytotoxins. Fluid and electrolyte replacement is the recommended treatment, and antimicrobials are required only in severe and/or prolonged illness.

Objetive:

To characterize the virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter spp. strains isolated from patients with acute diarrheal syndrome in the Central Laboratory of Public Health, period 2020 - 2021.

Methodology:

The type of study used was retrospective cross-sectional, taking the years between 2020 and 2021 as the study period, as inclusion criteria all strains isolated from samples that were sent with the Epidemiological record for the study of Acute Diarrheal Diseases (EDAS) in the study period of 2020-2021.

Results:

Some 168 Campylobacter spp. strains were studied, where a predominance of the Campylobacter jejuni species was observed with a percentage of 95% (160/168) followed by Campylobacter coli with 5% (8/168). All the investigated virulence factors were detected, being the most frequent flaA (96%) and ctdC (94%), followed by cadF (86.9%), ctdB (85%), dnaJ (79.7%), racC (71%) and in a lower percentage, pldA (49%), ciaB (21%), wlaN (13%) and virB (2%) were detected. Regarding the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. strains, in this study it was possible to observe 51% resistance to ciprofloxacin, 6% resistance to tetracycline; while for erythromycin a sensitivity of 100% was observed.

Conclusion:

The identification of the virulence factors involved in the infectious processes as well as the knowledge of the antimicrobial resistance of the etiological agent constitute the key to better understanding of the pathogenesis and the development of therapies for the treatment of the infections presented by this pathogen.

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