Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of diarrheal illness, causing an estimated 2.4 million infections each year in the United States.
Most infections result from improper handling or cooking of chicken.
Antimicrobial resistance is increasing, however, due to the use of fluoroquinolones and macrolides in chicken. We surveyed chickens purchased at grocery stores for the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter . In January-June 1999, laboratories in Georgia, Maryland, and Minnesota each tested 10 chickens a month. Carcass rinse samples were centrifuged and pellets were incubated in enrichment broth and plated onto Campylobacter blood agar plates and nalidixic acid screening plates. American Society for Microbiology 100 th General Meeting.