An epidemiological investigation of Campylobacter in pig and poultry farms in the Mekong delta of Vietnam

<jats:title>SUMMARY</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> are zoonotic pathogens commonly associated with gastroenteritis. To assess the relevance of <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> in Vietnam, an economically transitioning country in SE Asia, we conducted a survey of 343 pig and poultry farms in the Mekong delta, a region characterized by mixed species farming with limited biosecurity. The animal-level prevalence of <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> was 31·9%, 23·9% and 53·7% for chickens, ducks and pigs, respectively. <jats:italic>C. jejuni</jats:italic> was predominant in all three host species, with the highest prevalence in pigs in high-density production areas. <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> isolates demonstrated high levels of antimicrobial resistance (21% and 100% resistance against ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, respectively). Multilocus sequence type genotyping showed a high level of genetic diversity within <jats:italic>C. jejuni</jats:italic>, and predicted <jats:italic>C. coli</jats:italic> inter-species transmission. We suggest that on-going intensification of animal production systems, limited biosecurity, and increased urbanization in Vietnam is likely to result in <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> becoming an increasingly significant cause of human diarrhoeal infections in coming years.</jats:p>