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Gut Pathogens 2020species, particularly , but also constitute emerging pathogens causing gastroenteritis in humans. However, isolation of may often fail during routine diagnostic...
BACKGROUND
species, particularly , but also constitute emerging pathogens causing gastroenteritis in humans. However, isolation of may often fail during routine diagnostic procedures due to the lack of standard protocols. Furthermore, defined breakpoints for the interpretation of antimicrobial susceptibilities of are missing. Hence, reliable epidemiological data of human infections are scarce and lacking for Germany. We therefore performed a 13-month prospective prevalence study in German patients.
RESULTS
A total of 4636 human stool samples was included and spp. were identified from 0.85% of specimens in 3884 outpatients and from 0.40% of specimens in 752 hospitalized patients. Overall, was the most prevalent species (n = 24; 67%), followed by (n = 10; 28%) and (n = 2; 6%). Whereas and were identified in outpatients, only could be isolated from samples of hospitalized patients. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of isolates revealed high susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin, whereas bimodal distributions of MICs were observed for azithromycin and ampicillin.
CONCLUSIONS
In summary, including , and could be isolated in 0.85% of German outpatients and ciprofloxacin rather than other antibiotics might be appropriate for antibiotic treatment of infections. Further epidemiological studies are needed, however, to provide a sufficient risk assessment of infections in humans.
PubMed: 32322308
DOI: 10.1186/s13099-020-00360-x -
Food Microbiology Apr 2024Infection mechanisms of Arcobacter remain uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether 65 food and waterborne isolates of at least six species were able to adhere...
Infection mechanisms of Arcobacter remain uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether 65 food and waterborne isolates of at least six species were able to adhere and invade Caco-2 cells; and whether this ability could be related to cadF, cj1349, ciaB, and/or hecA, specific genetic markers related to host cell adhesion and invasion. All adhered and invaded the cells, and harboured at least two virulence markers. The mean virulent activity shown by A. butzleri was superior to that of A. cryaerophilus (p < 0.05); but the mean adhesion and invasion values of A. lanthieri, A. skirrowii, and A. vitoriensis were even higher. Sewage isolates were significantly (p < 0.05) more adherent and invasive than the rest, and their associated gene content was higher (p < 0.05). For the first time, an association between cadF and hecA and a high adhesion capability was identified (p < 0.05). The results provide new data on the pathogenic potential of Arcobacter species present in food and water by highlighting the superiority of A. butzleri over A. cryarophilus; providing evidence on the virulence of minority species as A. lanthieri and A. vitoriensis; and confirming sewage as an important source of potentially more virulent arcobacters.
Topics: Humans; Virulence Factors; Arcobacter; Caco-2 Cells; Sewage; Meat
PubMed: 38049262
DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2023.104424 -
Microbiology Spectrum Aug 2022Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emerging gastrointestinal pathogen found in many countries worldwide. In France, it has become the third most commonly isolated bacterial...
Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emerging gastrointestinal pathogen found in many countries worldwide. In France, it has become the third most commonly isolated bacterial species from the stools of patients with intestinal infections. No interpretative criteria for antimicrobial susceptibility testing have been proposed for A. butzleri, and most strains are categorized using the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute or the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for Campylobacter or . In the present study, the genomes of 30 resistant A. butzleri isolates were analyzed to propose specific epidemiological cut-off values for ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. The identification of a β-lactamase and the T85I GyrA mutation associated with ampicillin and ciprofloxacin resistance, respectively, allowed us to adjust the disk diffusion (DD) and MIC cut-off values for these molecules. However, epidemiological cut-off values for erythromycin and tetracycline could not be estimated due to the absence of known resistance mechanisms. The present study paves the way for building a consensus for antimicrobial susceptibility testing for this concerning pathogen. Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emerging and concerning intestinal pathogen. Very few studies have focused on this particular species, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is based on methods that have been mostly developed for Campylobacter spp. In fact, no disk diffusion and E-tests adapted cut-offs for A. butzleri are available which leads to misinterpretations. We have shown here that NGS approach to identify genes and mutations in close relation to phenotypic resistance levels is a robust way to solve that issue and precisely differentiate WT and NWT A. butzleri isolates for frequently used antimicrobials. MIC and DD cut-off values have been significantly adjusted and answer the need for a global consensus regarding AST for A. butzleri.
Topics: Ampicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Arcobacter; Ciprofloxacin; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Erythromycin; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Tetracycline
PubMed: 35862990
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01003-22 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) May 2023Due to the lack of knowledge about in the Chilean poultry industry, the objective of this research was to know the prevalence, resistance, and genotypes of , and in...
Due to the lack of knowledge about in the Chilean poultry industry, the objective of this research was to know the prevalence, resistance, and genotypes of , and in 382 samples of chicken meat purchased in Valdivia, Chile. The samples were analyzed using three isolation protocols. Resistance to four antibiotics was evaluated by phenotypic methods. Genomic analyses were performed on selected resistant strains to detect resistance determinants and their genotypes. A total of 59.2% of the samples were positive. (37.4%) was the most prevalent species, followed by (19.6%), (11.3%), (3.7%) and (1.3%). (14%) was detected by PCR in a subset of samples. was resistant to ciprofloxacin (37.3%) and tetracycline (20%), while and were resistant to ciprofloxacin (55.8% and 2.8%), erythromycin (16.3% and 0.7%) and tetracycline (4.7% and 2.8%), respectively. Molecular determinants were consistent with phenotypic resistance. The genotypes of (CC-21, CC-48, CC-49, CC-257, CC-353, CC-443, CC-446 and CC-658) and (CC-828) coincided with genotypes of Chilean clinical strains. These findings suggest that besides and , chicken meat could play a role in the transmission of other pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant
PubMed: 37237819
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12050917 -
Gut Pathogens Dec 2021Members of the genus Arcobacter are considered as emerging zoonotic food and waterborne pathogens that cause gastroenteritis and bacteremia in humans. However, the...
Prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence gene profiles of Arcobacter species isolated from human stool samples, foods of animal origin, ready-to-eat salad mixes and environmental water.
BACKGROUND
Members of the genus Arcobacter are considered as emerging zoonotic food and waterborne pathogens that cause gastroenteritis and bacteremia in humans. However, the potential risk that Arcobacter species pose to public health remains unassessed in various countries, including Baltic states. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility and presence of putative virulence genes of Arcobacter isolates recovered from humans, food products and environmental water in Lithuania.
RESULTS
A total of 1862 samples were collected and examined from 2018 to 2020 in the city of Kaunas. Overall, 11.2% (n = 208) of the samples were positive for the presence of Arcobacter spp. The highest prevalence was detected in chicken meat (36%), followed by environmental water (28.1%), raw cow milk (25%), ready-to-eat salad mixes (7.1%) and human stool (1.7%). A. butzleri was the most frequently isolated species (n = 192; 92.3%), followed by A. cryaerophilus (n = 16; 7.7%). Arcobacter spp. antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed unimodally distributed aggregated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for gentamicin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin and erythromycin. However, a bimodal distribution for azithromycin was found with 96.2% of determined MICs above the epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) defined for Campylobacter jejuni (0.25 µg/ml). Majority of the Arcobacter isolates (n = 187; 89.9%) showed high susceptibility to ciprofloxacin with MICs below or equal to the ECOFF value of 0.5 µg/ml. The putative virulence genes cadF (100%), ciaB (100%), cj1349 (99%), tlyA (99%), mviN (97.9%) and pldA (95.8%) were the predominant genes detected among A. butzleri isolates. In contrast, the mviN and ciaB genes were present in all, whereas cj1349 (12.5%), tlyA (25%) and hecA (12.5%) were only detected in few A. cryaerophilus isolates.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate that food products and environmental water in Lithuania are frequently contaminated with Arcobacter spp. that carry multiple putative virulence genes. Furthermore, A. butzleri were isolated from 1.7% of inpatients. Fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides were found to be more effective against Arcobacter in comparison to other antimicrobial agents. However, further studies are needed to determine the pathogenic mechanisms and factors that facilitate the spread of Arcobacter infections.
PubMed: 34930425
DOI: 10.1186/s13099-021-00472-y -
Journal of Food Protection Apr 2020Cloacal swabs were obtained from live ostriches reared on 30 different farms situated in South Africa (Oudtshoorn) during the period of June 2018 to July 2019 to...
ABSTRACT
Cloacal swabs were obtained from live ostriches reared on 30 different farms situated in South Africa (Oudtshoorn) during the period of June 2018 to July 2019 to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter and Arcobacter species. PCR (n = 168 pooled cloacal swabs), the Cape Town protocol (n = 836 cloacal swabs), International Organization for Standardization ISO 10272-1:2006 (n = 836 cloacal swabs), and a selective Arcobacter spp. method (n = 415 cloacal swabs) were used for detection. PCR determined an average prevalence of 24.63% for species belonging to the Campylobacteraceae family. The ISO 10272-1:2006 method determined a Campylobacter spp. prevalence level of 16.83%, while the Cape Town protocol could not detect Campylobacter spp. For Arcobacter spp., a prevalence of 18.80 and 39.14% was determined with the Cape Town protocol and the selective Arcobacter spp. method, respectively. Results showed that prevalence levels could be influenced by season, the source of water, and the presence of wild water birds. Higher prevalence levels for Campylobacter spp. (23.38%) and Arcobacter spp. (68%) were detected in ostriches sampled during spring and autumn, respectively. Higher prevalence levels for Campylobacter spp. (25.23%) and Arcobacter spp. (44.50%) were detected in ostriches reared on farms that made use of borehole water. Higher prevalence levels for Arcobacter spp. (44.38%) were seen in ostriches reared on farms with wild water birds. This research shows that ostriches from South Africa can be considered as potential carriers of species belonging to the Campylobacteraceae family.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Bird Diseases; Campylobacter; Prevalence; South Africa; Struthioniformes
PubMed: 31855449
DOI: 10.4315/JFP-19-472 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2022species are ubiquitous emerging pathogens with an impact that has been underestimated due to limitations in isolation and detection methods. Our group recently...
species are ubiquitous emerging pathogens with an impact that has been underestimated due to limitations in isolation and detection methods. Our group recently developed the novel NRJ -detection system, with major improvements in specificity and selectivity compared to other culture-based methods. In this work, the NRJ detection system was evaluated using retail whole broiler chicken carcass. Nanopore 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing demonstrated that species are found in very low abundance in retail chicken and that indigenous microbiota could be a major factor interfering with detection. Comparison of the microbiome obtained from modified Houf broth (HB) method, as the standard detection system, and the novel NRJ method, showed abundances of <15% and >97%, respectively. The NRJ system significantly inhibits the growth of non-target microbiota, and specifically allows the multiplication of species. In this report, we describe the gold-standard of -specific culture-based method to test food matrices, which can be used for other applications, such as clinical and environmental sampling.
PubMed: 35801110
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.903079 -
PloS One 2021Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging zoonotic food-borne and water-borne pathogen that can cause diarrhea in humans. The global prevalence of A. butzleri infection is...
Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging zoonotic food-borne and water-borne pathogen that can cause diarrhea in humans. The global prevalence of A. butzleri infection is underestimated, and little is known about their phenotypic and genotypic characterization. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial susceptibility (AST) profiles, detect related virulence genes, and classify sequence type (ST) of A. butzleri isolates obtained from human stool and food samples. A total of 84 A. butzleri isolates were obtained from human diarrheal (n = 25), non-diarrheal (n = 24) stool, and food (n = 35) samples in Thailand. They were evaluated for phenotypic identification by conventional microbiological procedures and AST by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as well as virulence genes detection. Representative isolates from each origin were selected based on the presence of virulence genes and AST profiles to analyze genetic diversity by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All isolates showed resistance to nalidixic acid 40.5% (34/84), ciprofloxacin 11.9% (10/84), azithromycin 8.3% (7/84), and erythromycin 3.6% (3/84). Regarding the ten virulence genes detected, cj1349, mviN and pldA had the highest prevalence 100% (84/84), followed by tlyA 98.8% (83/84), cadF 97.6% (82/84), ciaB 71.4% (60/84), hecA and hecB 22.6% (19/84), iroE 15.5% (13/84) and irgA 10.7% (9/84), respectively. Three virulence genes were present among A. butzleri isolates of human diarrheal stool and food samples, with a significant difference observed among isolates; hecB [36% (9/25) and 8.6% (3/35)], hecA [36% (9/25) and 5.7% (2/35)], and irgA [24% (6/25) and 2.9% (1/35)] (p < 0.05), respectively. The hecA and hecB virulence genes functions are related to the mechanism of hemolysis, while irgA supports a bacterial nutritional requirement. MLST analysis of 26 A. butzleri isolates revealed that 16 novel STs exhibited high genetic diversity. The results of this study is useful for understanding potentially pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant A. butzleri in Thailand. The pathogenic virulence markers hecB, hecA, and irgA have the potential to be developed for rapid diagnostic detection in human diarrheal stool. No significant relationships among STs and sources of origin were observed. Little is known about A. butzleri, the mechanism of action of these virulence genes, is a topic that needs further investigation.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Diarrhea; Genes, Bacterial; Genotype; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Thailand; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 33544770
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246598 -
Genome Biology and Evolution Feb 2020Arcobacter species are recovered from a wide variety of sources, including animals, food, and both fresh and marine waters. Several Arcobacter species have also been...
Arcobacter species are recovered from a wide variety of sources, including animals, food, and both fresh and marine waters. Several Arcobacter species have also been recovered from human clinical samples and are thus associated tentatively with food- and water-borne human illnesses. Genome sequencing of the poultry isolate Arcobacter cibarius H743 and the Arcobacter acticola, Arcobacter pacificus, and Arcobacter porcinus type strains identified a large number and variety of insertion sequences. This study presents an analysis of these A. acticola, A. cibarius, A. pacificus, and A. porcinus IS elements. The four genomes sequenced here contain 276 complete and degenerate IS elements, representing 13 of the current 29 prokaryotic IS element families. Expansion of the analysis to include 15 other previously sequenced Arcobacter spp. added 73 complete and degenerate IS elements. Several of these IS elements were identified in two or more Arcobacter species, suggesting movement by horizontal gene transfer between the arcobacters. These IS elements are putatively associated with intragenomic deletions and inversions, and tentative movement of antimicrobial resistance genes. The A. cibarius strain H743 megaplasmid contains multiple IS elements common to the chromosome and, unusually, a complete ribosomal RNA locus, indicating that larger scale genomic rearrangements, potentially resulting from IS element-mediated megaplasmid cointegration and resolution may be occurring within A. cibarius and possibly other arcobacters. The presence of such a large and varied suite of mobile elements could have profound effects on Arcobacter biology and evolution.
Topics: Arcobacter; DNA Transposable Elements; Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal; Whole Genome Sequencing
PubMed: 32011709
DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa014 -
Journal of Food Protection Oct 2017Campylobacter and Arcobacter spp. are common causes of gastroenteritis in humans; these infections are commonly due to undercooked poultry. However, their virulence...
Campylobacter and Arcobacter spp. are common causes of gastroenteritis in humans; these infections are commonly due to undercooked poultry. However, their virulence mechanism is still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of genotypic virulence markers in Campylobacter and Arcobacter species using PCR. The prevalence of virulence and cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) genes was estimated in 71 Campylobacteraceae isolates. PCR was used to detect the presence of virulence genes (iam, cadF, virB1, flaA, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC) using specific primers for a total of 45 Campylobacter isolates, including 37 C. jejuni and 8 C. coli. All the Campylobacter isolates were positive for the cadF gene. The plasmid gene virB11 was not detected in any strain. The invasion associated marker was not detected in C. jejuni. Lower detection rates were observed for flaA, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. The presence of nine putative Arcobacter virulence genes (cadF, ciaB, cj1349, mviN, pldA, tlyA, irgA, hecA, and hecB) was checked in a set of 22 Arcobacter butzleri and 4 Arcobacter cryaerophilus isolates. The pldA and mviN genes were predominant (88.64%). Lower detection rates were observed for tlyA (84.76%), ciaB (84.61%), cadF and cj1349 (76.92%), IrgA and hecA (61.53%), and hecB (57.69%). The findings revealed that a majority of the Campylobacteraceae strains have these putative virulence genes that may lead to pathogenic effects in humans.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Campylobacter; Campylobacter jejuni; Humans; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry; Prevalence; Tunisia; Virulence; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 28906158
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-509