-
Journal of Dairy Science 2014The present study investigated the presence of Arcobacter spp. in industrial dairy plants. Between February and September 2013, pasteurized milk used for cheesemaking,...
The present study investigated the presence of Arcobacter spp. in industrial dairy plants. Between February and September 2013, pasteurized milk used for cheesemaking, processing and cleaning water, cheese, and environmental samples from different plant sites, including surfaces in contact or not in contact with food, were sampled. A total of 126 samples were analyzed by the cultural method and isolates were identified by multiplex PCR. Arcobacter spp. were isolated from 22 of 75 environmental samples (29.3%): of them, 22.7% were surfaces in contact with food and 38.7% surfaces not in contact with food. A total of 135 Arcobacter spp. isolates were obtained; of these, 129 and 6 were identified as Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus, respectively. All food processing water and pasteurized milk samples were negative for Arcobacter species. We were not able to determine the primary source of contamination, but the isolation of both A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus in surfaces in contact with food before and during manufacturing suggests that Arcobacter spp. are not or are only partially affected by routine sanitizing procedures in the industrial dairy plants studied. The efficacy of sanitizing procedures should be evaluated and further studies are needed to determine whether certain Arcobacter strains persist for long periods of time in industrial dairy plants and whether they can survive in different types of cheese in cases of postprocessing contamination.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Cheese; Consumer Product Safety; Dairying; Food Contamination; Food Handling; Food Microbiology; Food Safety; Milk; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sanitation
PubMed: 24534515
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2013-7682 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Jul 2021The family Arcobacteraceae formerly genus Arcobacter has recently been reclassified into six genera. Among nine species of the genus Aliarcobacter, Aliarcobacter faecis...
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification: Development, validation and application of simple and rapid assays for quantitative detection of species of Arcobacteraceae family- and species-specific Aliarcobacter faecis and Aliarcobacter lanthieri.
AIM
The family Arcobacteraceae formerly genus Arcobacter has recently been reclassified into six genera. Among nine species of the genus Aliarcobacter, Aliarcobacter faecis and Aliarcobacter lanthieri have been identified as emerging pathogens potentially cause health risks to humans and animals. This study was designed to develop/optimize, validate and apply Arcobacteraceae family- and two species-specific (A. faecis and A. lanthieri) loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays to rapidly detect and quantify total number of cells in various environmental niches.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Three sets of LAMP primers were designed from conserved and variable regions of 16S rRNA (family-specific) and gyrB (species-specific) genes. Optimized Arcobacteraceae family-specific LAMP assay correctly amplified and detected 24 species, whereas species-specific LAMP assays detected A. faecis and A. lanthieri reference strains as well as 91 pure and mixed culture isolates recovered from aquatic and faecal sources. The specificity of LAMP amplification of A. faecis and A. lanthieri was further confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Assay sensitivities were tested using variable DNA concentrations extracted from simulated target species cells in an autoclaved agricultural water sample by achieving a minimum detection limit of 10 cells mL (10 fg). Direct DNA-based quantitative detection, from agricultural surface water, identified A. faecis (17%) and A. lanthieri (1%) at a low frequency compared to family-level (93%) with the concentration ranging from 2·1 × 10 to 2·2 × 10 cells 100 mL .
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, these three DNA-based rapid and cost-effective novel LAMP assays are sensitive and can be completed in less than 40 min. They have potential for on-site quantitative detection of species of family Arcobacteraceae, A. faecis and A. lanthieri in food, environmental and clinical matrices.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY
The newly developed LAMP assays are specific, sensitive, accurate with higher reproducibility that have potential to facilitate in a less equipped lab setting and can help in early quantitative detection and rate of prevalence in environmental niches. The assays can be adopted in the diagnostic labs and epidemiological studies.
Topics: Agriculture; Animals; Arcobacter; Campylobacteraceae; DNA Primers; DNA, Bacterial; Feces; Humans; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Species Specificity; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 33174331
DOI: 10.1111/jam.14926 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2022There is growing interest in Baltic herring () and other undervalued, small-sized fish species for human consumption. Gutting or filleting of small-sized fish is...
There is growing interest in Baltic herring () and other undervalued, small-sized fish species for human consumption. Gutting or filleting of small-sized fish is impractical; hence, the aim of this study was to explore the suitability of the whole (ungutted) herring for food use. The microbiological quality of commercially fished whole and gutted herring was analysed with culture-dependent methods combined with identification of bacterial isolates with MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and culture-independent 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Whole and gutted herring had between 2.8 and 5.3 log CFU g aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria and between 2.2 and 5.6 log CFU g H₂S-producing bacteria. Enterobacteria counts remained low in all the analysed herring batches. The herring microbiota largely comprised the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria (71.7% to 95.0%). , , and were the most frequently isolated genera among the viable population; however, with the culture-independent approach, followed by were the most abundant genera. In some samples, a high relative abundance of the phylum Epsilonbacteraeota, represented by the genus , was detected. This study reports the bacterial diversity present in Baltic herring and shows that the microbiological quality was acceptable in all the analysed fish batches.
PubMed: 35205969
DOI: 10.3390/foods11040492 -
BMC Microbiology Oct 2013Bacteria belonging to the Arcobacter genus are emerging enteropathogens and potential zoonotic agents. Their taxonomy has evolved very rapidly, and there are presently... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Bacteria belonging to the Arcobacter genus are emerging enteropathogens and potential zoonotic agents. Their taxonomy has evolved very rapidly, and there are presently 18 recorded species. The prevalence of species belonging to Arcobacter is underestimated because of the limitations of currently available methods for species identification.The aim of this study was to compare the performance of five PCR based methods that target regions of 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA or gyrA genes to identify Arcobacter species, and to review previous results reported in the literature using these methods.
RESULTS
The five tested methods were found not to be reliable. They misidentified between 16.8% and 67.4% of the studied strains; this was dependent upon the target regions of the tested genes. The worst results obtained were for the identification of Arcobacter cryaerophilus and Arcobacter butzleri when the 23S rRNA gene was used as the target. These species were confused with many non-targeted species.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that the known diversity of Arcobacter spp. in different environments could be expanded if reliable identification methods are applied in future studies.
Topics: Arcobacter; Bacteriological Techniques; DNA Gyrase; DNA, Bacterial; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S
PubMed: 24090042
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-220 -
Food Science & Nutrition May 2024In this study, to investigate spp. contamination post-scalding and de-feathering, post-evisceration, post-chilling, and packaged products, which are the most essential...
In this study, to investigate spp. contamination post-scalding and de-feathering, post-evisceration, post-chilling, and packaged products, which are the most essential contamination stages of broiler slaughter, a total of 108 samples were taken from three different broiler slaughterhouses at different times. Isolates obtained by cultural methods in 104 of 108 samples were analyzed by mPCR method to identify pathogen spp. , , and mixed contamination of both species were detected in 51 samples. Of the 51 isolates, 27 (52.9%) were , 16 (31.4%) were , and 8 (15.7%) were mixed contamination of and , while was not detected. and contamination was 59.2% post-scalding and de-feathering, 43.4% post-evisceration, 44.4% and 48.1% post-chilling and in packaged products, respectively. All strains were found to be 100% resistant to cefoperazone and penicillin and sensitive to tetracycline. strains were 100% resistant to cefoperazone, penicillin, and cloxacillin and susceptible to tetracycline and erythromycin. In the study, it was determined that spp. caused a very intense contamination (85.18%-100%) and also contamination rates of identified pathogen strains ( and ) were very high (59.2% and 43.4%) in broiler slaughtering stages. Considering that each step in broiler slaughter could contaminate the next stage, developing a safe slaughter and minimizing the risk toward the final product, it was concluded that critical control points could not be well managed in broiler slaughterhouses, and broiler meat may pose a significant risk to public health.
PubMed: 38726459
DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.4013 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Apr 2016Arcobacter butzleri has been linked to enteric disease in humans, but its pathogenicity and epidemiology remain poorly understood. The lack of suitable detection methods...
Arcobacter butzleri has been linked to enteric disease in humans, but its pathogenicity and epidemiology remain poorly understood. The lack of suitable detection methods is a major limitation. Using comparative genome analysis, we developed PCR primers for direct detection and quantification ofA. butzleri DNA in microbiologically complex matrices. These primers, along with existing molecular and culture-based methods, were used to detectA. butzleri and enteric pathogens in stools of diarrheic and nondiarrheic people (n= 1,596) living in southwestern Alberta, Canada, from May to November 2008. In addition, quantitative PCR was used to compare A. butzleridensities in diarrheic and nondiarrheic stools.Arcobacter butzleriwas detected more often by PCR (59.6%) than by isolation methods (0.8%). Comparison by PCR-based detection found no difference in the prevalence ofA. butzleri between diarrheic (56.7%) and nondiarrheic (45.5%) individuals. Rates of detection in diarrheic stools peaked in June (71.1%) and October (68.7%), but there was no statistically significant correlation between the presence ofA. butzleri and patient age, sex, or place of habitation. Densities ofA. butzleriDNA in diarrheic stools (1.6 ± 0.59 log10 copies mg(-1)) were higher (P= 0.007) than in nondiarrheic stools (1.3 ± 0.63 log10copies mg(-1)). Of the 892 diarrheic samples that were positive for A. butzleri, 74.1% were not positive for other bacterial and/or viral pathogens. The current study supports previous work suggesting that A. butzleri pathogenicity is strain specific and/or dependent on other factors, such as the level of host resistance.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alberta; Arcobacter; Bacterial Load; Child; Child, Preschool; Diarrhea; Feces; Female; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Young Adult
PubMed: 26865686
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.03202-15 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022Intestinal autochthonous bacteria play important roles in the maintenance of the physiological homeostasis of animals, especially contributing to the host immune system....
Intestinal autochthonous bacteria play important roles in the maintenance of the physiological homeostasis of animals, especially contributing to the host immune system. In the present study, the variation of autochthonous bacterial community in the intestinal tract of 2-7 months-old tiger pufferfish and bacterial communities in the seawater of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and the following offshore sea cage aquaculture system (OSCS) were analyzed during the aquaculture period from May to October 2021. Proteobacteria was found to be the most dominant phyla in both intestinal and seawater bacterial communities, which accounted for 68.82% and 65.65% of the total bacterial abundance, respectively. was the most core bacterial taxon in the intestinal bacterial community, with the most dominant abundance (42.89%) at the genus level and dominant positions in co-occurrence relationships with other bacterial taxa (node-betweenness value of 150). Enterococcaceae was specifically enriched in the intestinal bacterial community of pufferfishes from RAS, while Vibrionaceae was enriched in the intestinal bacterial community from OSCS. The F-values of beta diversity analysis between intestinal and seawater bacterial communities generally increased from May (6.69) to October (32.32), indicating the increasing differences between the intestinal and seawater bacterial communities along with the aquaculture process. Four bacterial taxa of sp., , sp. and had significant correlations with immune response parameters, and they were suggested to be the indicators for immune status and pathological process of pufferfish. The knowledge about the specific core bacteria, potentially pathogenic bacteria and the change of bacterial community in the intestinal tract of cultured pufferfish is of great scientific significance and will contribute to the understanding of intestinal bacterial homeostasis and biosecurity practice in pufferfish aquaculture.
Topics: Animals; Takifugu; Bacteria; Proteobacteria
PubMed: 36583108
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1062512 -
Journal of Food Protection Dec 2008Arcobacter is part of the family Campylobacteraceae. As with the genus Campylobacter, Arcobacter is found responsible for human gastrointestinal infection, and it is...
Arcobacter is part of the family Campylobacteraceae. As with the genus Campylobacter, Arcobacter is found responsible for human gastrointestinal infection, and it is assumed to originate from poultry meat sources. Samples from poultry slaughtering originating from a broiler slaughterhouse and a turkey slaughterhouse were analyzed for Arcobacter. Five broiler flocks and five turkey flocks were analyzed in the course of slaughtering and processing for the prevalence of Arcobacter. The prevalence in broilers was 43.0%, while turkey samples were contaminated with 18.2% of positive samples. The numbers of Arcobacter present on turkey skin samples ranged between 1.7 and 2.4 log CFU/cm2. The prevalence changes during processing showed an increase after chilling in broilers, whereas there was a constant decrease in turkey processing. Species identification showed that all three Arcobacter spp. of relevance in human infection could be isolated, with A. butzleri being found at higher prevalence, which was followed by A. skirrowii and A. cryaerophilus.
Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Arcobacter; Chickens; Food Contamination; Food Handling; Humans; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin; Species Specificity; Turkeys
PubMed: 19244910
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-71.12.2533 -
Journal of Food Protection Oct 1996Taxonomically, the RNA Superfamily VI includes the genera Campylobacter , Helicobacter , and Arcobacter . Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the major...
Taxonomically, the RNA Superfamily VI includes the genera Campylobacter , Helicobacter , and Arcobacter . Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the major causes of acute enteritis in humans. Helicobacter pylori causes human ulcers and has been linked to cancer. Helieobacter pylori has been detected in water, but in no other food. Although antibody titers were elevated in abattoir workers exposed to hog carcasses, there have been no recoveries of H. pylori from swine or other livestock. The genus Arcobacter was proposed in 1991 to include aerotolerant campylobacter-like organisms recovered from cases of livestock abortion and human enteritis. Arcobacter spp. have been cultured from water, cattle, swine, poultry, and from ground pork products. The evidence for considering Helicobacter spp. and Arcobacter spp., especially A. butzleri , as emerging foodborne pathogens and their risk of transmission in foods and beverages is reviewed. The risk of transmission to humans of H. pylori and A. butzleri via properly cooked foods and chlorinated water is negligible.
PubMed: 31195461
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X-59.10.1127 -
Journal of Food Protection Feb 2007Twenty-two chicken livers, 10 chicken carcasses, and 15 wastewater samples were processed and analyzed for Arcobacter by PCR and traditional culture methods. Samples...
Twenty-two chicken livers, 10 chicken carcasses, and 15 wastewater samples were processed and analyzed for Arcobacter by PCR and traditional culture methods. Samples were enriched for 24 and 48 h, incubated at 30 degrees C under aerobic conditions, and streaked on blood selective media. To determine the best isolation conditions, 20 samples also were processed under microaerophilic conditions at 37 degrees C. Simple and multiplex PCR assays were used directly with enrichment broths and isolated strains. Seventeen Arcobacter strains were isolated from chicken samples, and A. butzleri was the only Arcobacter species identified. The direct PCR assay revealed that 29 of the 32 chicken samples were contaminated with Arcobacter. A. butzleri was the most frequently detected species, although Arcobacter cryaerophilus also was present in some of the samples and Arcobacter skirrowii occasionally was detected. All the wastewater samples were positive by PCR assay for Arcobacter after 24 h of enrichment. A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus were detected with the multiplex PCR assay. Fourteen Arcobacter strains were isolated from 10 of the 15 water samples analyzed; 7 were identified as A. butzleri and the remaining 7 were A. cryaerophilus. Both for chicken and water samples, Arcobacter detection rate for PCR amplification was higher than for culture isolation. These results indicate the high prevalence of Arcobacter in chicken and wastewater and the inadequacy of available cultural methods for its detection. The species-specific multiplex PCR assay is a rapid method for assessing Arcobacter contamination in chicken and wastewater samples and is a viable alternative to biochemical identification of isolated strains.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Chickens; Colony Count, Microbial; Consumer Product Safety; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Humans; Meat; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spain; Time Factors; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 17340867
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-70.2.341