95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Veterinary and Zoonotic Infection
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1584835
This article is part of the Research Topic Sequencing Technologies in Advancing Veterinary and Zoonotic Infection Research View all 4 articles
The role of virulence genes in Campylobacter pathogenicity: A perspective from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries
Provisionally accepted- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, United Arab Emirates
Campylobacter spp., primarily C. jejuni and C. coli, are leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. This review provides an overview of literature on the prevalence and distribution of virulence genes in C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from both food samples and humans across GCC countries. The reviewed evidence highlights a gap in our understanding of how differences in the virulence profile affect the pathogenicity of Campylobacter. Research has shown that C. coli is the predominant species found in retail chicken carcasses in the UAE, while C. jejuni is more common in chicken carcasses across other GCC countries. Studies also reveal distinct genotypes of C. jejuni and C. coli, each with varying pathogenicity. These findings underscore the need for further research on the role of virulence genes in shaping the pathogenicity of Campylobacter, which is essential for developing effective intervention and control strategies in the GCC region.
Keywords: Campylobacter, virulence genes, foodborne infection, Gulf Cooperation Council Campylobacter, Gulf Cooperation Council countries
Received: 27 Feb 2025; Accepted: 02 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mohamed, Khalifa and Habib. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Mohamed Yousif Ibrahim Mohamed, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, United Arab Emirates
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.