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Archives of Microbiology Nov 2023The surge in human arcobacteriosis has increased interest in determining the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Arcobacter butzleri. Here, genomic analyses and...
The surge in human arcobacteriosis has increased interest in determining the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Arcobacter butzleri. Here, genomic analyses and in vitro Caco-2 infection, motility, urease and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) assays were used to characterise the virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants of strains HC-1, isolated from a patient with travellers' diarrhoea, and HC-2, isolated from another with pruritus. AMR determinants conferring resistance to tetracycline (tetO, present in both genomes) and to ampicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (bla3, present in HC-2) were identified. The same determinants associated with flagellum, chemotaxis, adhesion and invasion were detected in both, but HC-1 lacked eight flagellar genes. The urease cluster was only present in HC-1. Motility and urease tests confirmed the genetic differences between strains, but no genetic marker related to the inability of HC-2 to adhere and invade was identified. This inability could be conditioning the patient's pathology.
Topics: Humans; Virulence; Arcobacter; Caco-2 Cells; Urease; Genotype; Phenotype; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37923944
DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03709-3 -
International Journal of Systematic and... Nov 2021This paper re-examines the taxonomic positions of recently described ( and ), ('), ('') and (, ) species, and other species proposed to represent novel genera highly...
This paper re-examines the taxonomic positions of recently described ( and ), ('), ('') and (, ) species, and other species proposed to represent novel genera highly related to the genus . Phylogenomic and several overall genome relatedness indices (OGRIs) were applied to a total of 118 representative genomes for this purpose. Phylogenomic analyses demonstrated the clade to be distinct from other , clearly defined and containing closely related species. and did not cluster with other members of these proposed genera, indicating incoherence of these genera. Every OGRI measure applied indicated a high level of relatedness among all clade species, including the recently described taxa studied here, and substantially lower between type species representatives for other Where published guidelines were available, OGRI values for clade species were either unsupportive of division into other genera or were at the lowest boundary range (for average amino acid identity). We propose that , , , , and be considered members of a single genus, , and subsequently transfer , , '' and '' to as comb. nov., comb. nov., comb. nov. and comb. nov.
Topics: Arcobacter; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34825881
DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005133 -
FEBS Open Bio Oct 2020Arcobacter (A.) butzleri is an emerging zoonotic pathogen associated with gastrointestinal diseases, such as abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and is widely detected in...
Arcobacter (A.) butzleri is an emerging zoonotic pathogen associated with gastrointestinal diseases, such as abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and is widely detected in animals, showing a high prevalence in poultry and seafood. The survival and adaptation of A. butzleri to cold temperatures remains poorly studied, although it might be of interest for food safety considerations. To address this, growth patterns of eight A. butzleri isolates were determined at 8 °C for 28 days. A. butzleri isolates showed strain-dependent behavior: six isolates were unculturable after day 18, one exhibited declining but detectable cell counts until day 28 and one grew to the stationary phase level. Out of 13 A. butzleri cold shock-related genes homologous to Escherichia coli, 10 were up-regulated in response to a temperature downshift to 8 °C, as demonstrated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Additionally, we compared these data with the cold-shock response in E. coli. Overall, we provide a deeper insight into the environmental adaptation capacities of A. butzleri, which we find shares similarities with the E. coli cold-shock response.
Topics: Arcobacter; Cold-Shock Response; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation; Temperature; Transcriptome
PubMed: 32810909
DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12959 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Dec 2022Milk is consumed raw or minimally processed and plays a role in the dissemination of pathogens of public health concerns. The present investigation is aimed at assessing...
AIMS
Milk is consumed raw or minimally processed and plays a role in the dissemination of pathogens of public health concerns. The present investigation is aimed at assessing the occurrence of pathogenic Arcobacter species in 2945 milk samples.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Arcobacter data systematically retrieved from five repositories until 20 February 2022 according to PRISMA principles were logit transformed and fitted using a generalized linear mixed-effects model. The between-study heterogeneity was estimated as I2-value. Leave-one-out cross-validation and funnel plot with Egger's tests were used to assess the hardiness and bias in the model. The global prevalence of Arcobacter genus in the milk was 12% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7-19%; I2 = 87.3%, 95% CI: 83.0-90.6%] and no publication bias observed (Egger's test: P = 0.112). Arcobacter genus prevalence in milk was 13% (95% CI: 5-30%), 10% (95% CI: 1-46%), and 9% (95% CI: 4-19%) in Europe, South America, and Asia, respectively. Arcobacter butzleri was the most prevalent [8% (95% CI: 4-13%)], followed by A. cryaerophilus [0.6% (95% CI: 0.2-33.2%)] and A. skirrowii [0.19% (95% CI: 0.03-1.2%)]. Also, species-specific prevalence of A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus, and A. skirrowii varied continentally, but the test for species-specific/continental differences was not significantly different (P > 0.5).
PubMed: 36626780
DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxac037 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Dec 2022Milk is consumed raw or minimally processed and plays a role in the dissemination of pathogens of public health concerns. The present investigation is aimed at assessing...
AIMS
Milk is consumed raw or minimally processed and plays a role in the dissemination of pathogens of public health concerns. The present investigation is aimed at assessing the occurrence of pathogenic Arcobacter species in 2945 milk samples.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Arcobacter data systematically retrieved from 5 repositories until 20/02/2022 according to PRISMA principles was logit transformed and fitted using a generalized linear mixed-effects model. The between-study heterogeneity was estimated as I2-value. Leave-one-out-cross-validation and funnel plot with Egger's tests was used to assess the hardiness and bias in the model. The global prevalence of Arcobacter genus in the milk was 12% [95%-CI: 7-19%; I2 = 87.3%, 95%-CI: 83.0-90.6%] and no publication bias observed (Eggers' test: p = 0.112). Arcobacter genus prevalence in milk was 13% (95%-CI: 5-30%), 10% (95%-CI: 1-46%), and 9% (95%-CI: 4-19%) in Europe, South America, and Asia, respectively. A. butzleri was the most prevalent (8% [95%-CI: 4-13%]), then A. cryaerophilus (0.6% [95%-CI: 0.2-33.2%]) and A. skirrowii (0.19% [95%-CI: 0.03-1.2%]). Also species-specific prevalence of A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus, and A. skirrowii varied continentally, but the test for species-specific/continental differences were not significantly different (p > 0.5).
PubMed: 36626761
DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxac037 -
Journal of Food Protection Jul 2021Campylobacter spp. and Arcobacter butzleri are foodborne pathogens associated with the consumption of contaminated raw chicken meat. At the industry level, the...
ABSTRACT
Campylobacter spp. and Arcobacter butzleri are foodborne pathogens associated with the consumption of contaminated raw chicken meat. At the industry level, the combination of new and common antimicrobials could be used as a strategy to control the presence of pathogens in chicken carcasses. The objective of this study was to determine the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of a mixture of chlorine (Cl) and sodium gallate (SG) on a mixture of two Campylobacter species (Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli) and A. butzleri. Using a central composite experimental design, it was established that the optimum inhibitory SG-Cl concentration for Campylobacter spp. was 44 to 45 ppm. After 15 h of incubation, Campylobacter species growth was reduced by 37.5% and the effect of Cl was potentiated by SG at concentrations above 45 ppm. In the case of A. butzleri, optimum levels of 28 and 41 ppm were observed for SG and Cl, respectively; no synergism was reported, as this bacterium was more sensitive to lower Cl concentrations than Campylobacter. After a 20-min pretreatment with peracetic acid (50 ppm), the optimum condition to achieve a >1.0-Log CFU/mL reduction of Campylobacter spp. was exposure to 177 ppm of Cl and 44 ppm of SG for 56 min. As A. butzleri showed lower resistance to the bacteriostatic effect of the Cl-SG combination, it was assumed that optimum bactericidal conditions for Campylobacter spp. were effective to control the former; this was confirmed with subsequent validation of the model. The SG-Cl combination has bactericidal properties against Campylobacter and A. butzleri, and it may be a useful strategy to improve sanitary practices applied in the poultry industry.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Campylobacter; Chickens; Chlorine; Food Microbiology; Meat; Sodium
PubMed: 33428726
DOI: 10.4315/JFP-20-181 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2021spp. are emerging waterborne and foodborne zoonotic pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis in humans. In this work, we evaluated the occurrence and the antimicrobial...
spp. are emerging waterborne and foodborne zoonotic pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis in humans. In this work, we evaluated the occurrence and the antimicrobial resistance profile of isolates recovered from different aquatic sources. Besides, we searched for spp. in seaweeds and the corresponding seawater samples. Bacteriological and molecular methods applied to 100 samples led to the isolation of 28 isolates from 27 samples. The highest prevalence was detected in rivers followed by artificial ponds, streams, well waters, and spring waters. Seaweeds contained a higher percentage of than the corresponding seawater samples. The isolates were identified as (96.4%) and (3.6%). All the isolates showed a multi-drug resistance profile, being resistant to at least three different classes of antibiotics. Molecular analysis of genetic determinants responsible for tetracycline resistance in nine randomly chosen isolates revealed the presence of and/or This work confirms the occurrence and the continuous emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains in environmental samples; also, the presence of quinolone-resistant spp. in aquatic sources used for water supply and irrigation represents a potential risk for human health.
PubMed: 33802125
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10030288 -
Journal of Food Protection Mar 2023Arcobacters are emerging pathogens that have been underestimated due to a lack of a standardized isolation method. The aim of this research was to evaluate the ability...
Arcobacters are emerging pathogens that have been underestimated due to a lack of a standardized isolation method. The aim of this research was to evaluate the ability to isolate Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and Arcobacter skirrowii using two Arcobacter-specific culture detection systems: (i) the Houf broth and modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar supplemented with cefoperazone, amphotericin B, and teicoplanin (HB/mCCDA+CAT), and (ii) the Nguyen-Restaino-Juárez Arcobacter enrichment broth and chromogenic agar (NRJ-B/M). Both detection systems were evaluated for productivity ratio, sensitivity, and specificity. As a result, the productivity ratio for both plating agars were >90%, which indicates that the selective agents used in the two plating agars did not inhibit Arcobacter growth. Moreover, sensitivity evaluations using artificially inoculated retail ground poultry (n = 780) determined that both detection systems were able to isolate A. butlzeri with >95% sensitivity at the 0.1 and 1.0-2.0 CFU/g detection level. The sensitivity in A. cryaerophilus isolation was higher for NRJ-B/M (78.0% at 0.1 CFU/g; 95.1% at 1.0-2.0 CFU/g) when compared with HB/mCCDA+CAT (34.1% at 0.1 CFU/g; 51.2% at 1.0-2.0 CFU/g). Both detection systems resulted in <50% sensitivity when isolating A. skirrowii at 0.1 and 1.0-2.0 CFU/g; however, the sensitivity for NRJ-B/M was significantly higher than HB/mCCDA+CAT. At the detection level of 5.0 CFU/g, both detection systems were able to isolate A. skirrowii with 100% sensitivity. Specificity comparisons using uninoculated ground poultry samples (n = 40) indicated the growth of background microbiota were significantly inhibited or could be easily differentiated on NRJ-B/M (90.0%, specificity) when compared with HB/mCCDA+CAT (30.0%, specificity). Overall, these results show that the NRJ-B/M detection system is a more sensitive and specific detection system when isolating Arcobacter spp. from ground chicken.
Topics: Animals; Poultry; Arcobacter; Agar; Cefoperazone
PubMed: 36916562
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100057 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2019is an emerging pathogenic microorganism, whose taxonomy has been recently suggested to be emended to the comb. nov. Despite extensive taxonomic analysis, only few...
is an emerging pathogenic microorganism, whose taxonomy has been recently suggested to be emended to the comb. nov. Despite extensive taxonomic analysis, only few fragmented studies have investigated the occurrence and the prevalence of virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants of this species in strains isolated from shellfish. Herein we report for the first time the whole genome sequencing and genomic characterization of two strains isolated from shellfish, with particular reference to the antibiotic, heavy metals and virulence determinants. This study supported the taxonomic assignment of these strains to the species, and allowed us to identify antibiotic and metal resistance along with virulence determinants, also additional to those previously reported for the only two strains from different environments genomically characterized. Moreover, both strains showed resistance to β-lactams, vanocomycin, tetracycline and erythromycin and susceptibility to aminoglycosides and ciprofloxacin. Beside enlarging the availability of genomic data to perform comparative studies aimed at correlating phenotypic differences associated with ecological niche and geographic distribution with the genetic diversity of spp., this study reports the endowment of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance and virulence determinants of these shellfish-isolated strains. This leads to hypothesize a relatively high virulence of isolated from shellfish and prompt the need for a wider genomic analysis and for and studies of more strains isolated from this and other ecological niches, to unravel the mechanism of pathogenicity of this species, and the potential risk associated to their consumption.
PubMed: 31057492
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00670 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Aug 2015Even though dairy cows are known carriers of Arcobacter species and raw or minimally processed foods are recognized as the main sources of human Arcobacter infections in...
Even though dairy cows are known carriers of Arcobacter species and raw or minimally processed foods are recognized as the main sources of human Arcobacter infections in industrialized countries, data on Arcobacter excretion patterns in cows and in milk are scant. This study aimed to identify potentially pathogenic Arcobacter species in a dairy herd and to investigate the routes of Arcobacter transmission among animals and the potential sources of cattle infection and milk contamination. A strategy of sampling the same 50 dairy animals, feed, water, and milk every month for a 10-month period, as well as the sampling of quarter milk, animal teats, the milking environment, and animals living on the farm (pigeons and cats), was used to evaluate, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the characteristic patterns in animals, their living environment, and the raw milk they produced. Of the 463 samples collected, 105 (22.6%) were positive for Arcobacter spp. by culture examination. All the matrices except quarter milk and pigeon gut samples were positive, with prevalences ranging from 15 to 83% depending on the sample. Only three Arcobacter species, Arcobacter cryaerophilus (54.2%), A. butzleri (34.2%), and A. skirrowii (32.3%), were detected. PFGE analysis of 370 isolates from positive samples provided strong evidence of Arcobacter circulation in the herd: cattle likely acquire the microorganisms by orofecal transmission, either by direct contact or from the environment, or both. Water appears to be a major source of animal infection. Raw milk produced by the farm and collected from a bulk tank was frequently contaminated (80%) by A. butzleri; our PFGE findings excluded primary contamination of milk, whereas teats and milking machine surfaces could be sources of Arcobacter milk contamination.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Domestic; Arcobacter; Carrier State; Cats; Cattle; Columbidae; DNA Fingerprinting; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Environmental Microbiology; Food Contamination; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Milk; Molecular Typing
PubMed: 26002896
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01035-15