High survival rates of Campylobacter coli under different stress conditions suggest that more rigorous food control measures might be needed in Brazil Carolina N. Gomes a , Jaqueline Passaglia a , Felipe P. Vilela a , F  atima M.H.S. Pereira da Silva a , Sheila S. Duque b , Juliana P. Falc ~ ao a, *, 1 a Departamento de An alises Clínicas, Toxicol ogicas e Bromatol ogicas, Faculdade de Ci^ encias Farmac^ euticas de Ribeir~ ao Preto- Universidade de S~ ao Paulo, Av. do Caf e, s/n, Campus Universit ario USP, Ribeir~ ao Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil b Fundaç~ ao Oswaldo Cruz - FIOCRUZ, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-IOC, Pavilh~ ao Rocha Lima, Sala 516, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brazil article info Article history: Received 18 August 2017 Received in revised form 2 February 2018 Accepted 15 February 2018 Available online 17 February 2018 Keywords: Campylobacter coli Pathogenic potential Different stress conditions Virulence genes Brazil abstract Campylobacter spp. have been the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen in many countries. Consumption of improperly prepared poultry meat has been the main transmission route of Campylobacter spp. Although Brazil is the largest exporter of poultry meat in the world, campylo- bacteriosis has been a neglected disease in the country. The aim of this study was to characterize 50 Campylobacter coli strains isolated from different sources in Brazil regarding the frequency of 16 viru- lence genes and their survival capability under five different stress conditions. All strains studied pre- sented the cadF, flaA, and sodB genes that are considered essential for colonization. All strains grew at 4  C and 37  C after 24 h. High survival rates were observed when the strains were incubated in BHI with 7.5% NaCl and exposed to acid and oxidative stress. In conclusion, the pathogenic potential of the strains studied was reinforced by the presence of several important virulence genes and by the high growth and survival rates of the majority of those strains under different stress conditions. The results enabled a better understanding of strains circulating in Brazil and suggest that more rigorous control measures may be needed, given the importance of contaminated food as vehicles for Campylobacter coli. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Campylobacter spp. are Gram-negative microaerobic pathogens that have been the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bac- terial pathogens in many countries. In 2014, the number of confirmed cases of human campylobacteriosis reported was 236,851 in the Europe Union, while the number of salmonellosis cases was 88,715 (EFSA, 2015). In the United States, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) indicated that Campylobacter was the most reported cause of bacterial foodborne illness in 2016 and it was estimated that 1.3 million human illnesses occur every year (CDC, 2017). Clinical symptoms of campylobacteriosis can range from mild diarrhea to severe, watery to bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting and can lead to serious medical sequelae, such as Guillain-Barr e syndrome, a debilitating and sometimes fatal paralysis (Nachamkin, 2002; Cameron et al., 2012; Xia et al., 2013). The most important potential transmission routes of Campylobacter spp., specifically Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni, to humans have been considered to be consumption and handling of improperly prepared poultry meat, activities related to recreational waters, contact with farm animals or pets and consumption of unpasteurized milk (Man, 2011; Silva et al., 2011). Although Brazil is the largest exporter of poultry meat in the world (ABPA, 2016), campylobacteriosis is a neglected disease and there is insufficient data to estimate the incidence of this pathogen in the country. Furthermore, the research conducted in this country was mostly focused in the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of C. coli and C. jejuni (Gomes et al., 2006; Freitas and Noronha, 2007; Biasi et al., 2011) and there is a paucity of studies on molecularly characterized Campylobacter spp. strains (Aquino et al., 2002; Scarcelli et al., 2005; Gomes et al., 2016; Fraz~ ao et al., 2017). * Corresponding author. E-mail address: jufalcao@fcfrp.usp.br (J.P. Falc~ ao). 1 Present/permanent address: Faculdade de Ci^ encias Farmac^ euticas de Ribeir~ ao Preto e USP, Av. do Caf e, s/n. Bloco S e Sala 41, Ribeir~ ao Preto/SP, Brazil. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Microbiology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fm https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2018.02.014 0740-0020/© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Food Microbiology 73 (2018) 327e333