| Summary: | Even though <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (<i>H. pylori</i>) is a serious pathogen, its origin is unknown. Poultry (chicken, turkey, quail, goose, and ostrich) is consumed as a regular protein source by many people across the world; therefore, sanitary ways of delivering poultry for food are important for global health. As a result, the distribution of the virulence genes <i>cagA</i>, <i>vacA</i>, <i>babA2</i>, <i>oipA</i>, and <i>iceA</i> in <i>H. pylori</i> isolates in poultry meat, as well as their antibacterial resistance, was investigated. A Wilkins Chalgren anaerobic bacterial medium was used to cultivate 320 samples of raw poultry meat. Disk diffusion and multiplex-PCR were used to investigate both antimicrobial resistance and genotyping patterns. <i>H. pylori</i> was found in 20 of 320 (6.25 %) raw chicken meat samples. The highest incidence of <i>H. pylori</i> was found in chicken raw meat (15%), whereas no isolate was recovered from goose or quail raw meat (0.00%). Resistance to ampicillin (85%), tetracycline (85%), and amoxicillin (75%) were the most commonly detected in the tested <i>H. pylori</i> isolates. The percentage of <i>H. pylori</i> isolates with a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of more than 0.2 was 17/20 (85%). The most prevalent genotypes detected were <i>VacA</i> (75%), <i>m1a</i> (75%), <i>s2</i> (70%) and <i>m2</i> (65%), and <i>cagA</i> (60%). The most typically detected genotype patterns were <i>s1am1a</i> (45 %), <i>s2m1a</i> (45 %), and <i>s2 m2</i> (30%). <i>babA2</i>, <i>oipA</i>+, and <i>oipA</i>- genotypes were found in 40%, 30%, and 30% of the population, respectively. In summary, fresh poultry meat was polluted by <i>H. pylori</i>, with the <i>babA2</i>, <i>vacA</i>, and <i>cagA</i> genotypes being more prevalent. The simultaneous occurrence of <i>vacA</i>, <i>cagA</i>, <i>iceA</i>, <i>oipA</i>, and <i>babA2</i> genotypes in antibiotic-resistant <i>H. pylori</i> bacteria raises a serious public health concern regarding the consumption of raw poultry. Future research should evaluate antimicrobial resistance among <i>H. pylori</i> isolates in Iran.
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