Molecular detection and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from children under five years in Sana’a City, Yemen

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, particularly in children under five years of age. This study aimed to determine the molecular detection and antimicrobial resistance patterns of C. jejuni among children with diarrhea in Sana’a. Stool samples were collected from children under five years with diarrhea and analyzed using culture methods, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and molecular identification through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted to assess genetic relationships with reference strains. The overall prevalence of C. jejuni was 389/11 (2.8%), with a higher prevalence noted among females (8, 3.5%), those aged 36–47 months (4, 6.2%), individuals in rural areas (6, 3.5%), in the summer season (5, 7.2%), those who had contact with animals (9, 4.3%), individuals who drank water from tap sources (6, 5.6%), and those who consumed unpasteurized milk (4, 3.7%). Antimicrobial testing revealed high resistance to macrolides and aminoglycosides, while isolates remained relatively susceptible to ciprofloxacin (18.2%), tetracycline (27.3%), and nalidixic acid (27.3%). Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of C. jejuni with high sequence identity (≥ 99.6%), and phylogenetic clustering indicated close relationships with reference strains. The study emphasizes the necessity of raising public awareness regarding hand hygiene after handling animals, safe food handling practices, water treatment, and the prudent use of antibiotics. Furthermore, it is essential to expand the scope of future epidemiological studies to include larger samples from diverse populations, employ advanced techniques to detect antibiotic resistance genes, and utilize specialized genetic primers to differentiate between subspecies to understand the dynamics of C. jejuni in Yemen. Not applicable.