AbstractThe objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey meat samples by conventional cultivation method, to confirm the Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter lari isolates by the detection of specific genes with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and to find out the antimicrobial susceptibility of the C. jejuni isolates using disc diffusion method. In the present study, thermophilic Campylobacter spp. were in 123 of 270 (45.6%) turkey meat samples. Among the isolates, 109 (40.4%) were C. jejuni and 11 (4.1%) were C. coli as identified by conventional cultivation technique and verified by PCR assay. Prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. was higher in warm months than cold months. In the study, 104 (95.4%) of the C. jejuni isolates were found resistant to azithromycin, while 103 (94.5%) to erythromycin, 40 (36.7%) to tetracycline, 19 (17.4%) to ciprofloxacin and 10 (9.2%) to nalidixic acid.Practical ApplicationsThermophilic Campylobacter is one of the major causes of human gastroenteritis worldwide and the present study emphasizes the importance of turkey meat as an important thermophilic Campylobacter spp. source from a public health point of view. Although antimicrobial therapy is suggested for human campylobacteriosis, an increase in antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni, isolates from human cases and animals were reported. In the present study, prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey meat and the antibiotic resistance profiles of the C. jejuni isolates were reported.