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Journal of Food Protection Jul 2010This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter species identified or isolated from retail meats in Korea. Multiplex PCR assays for the detection of...
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter species identified or isolated from retail meats in Korea. Multiplex PCR assays for the detection of Arcobacter species were performed for 360 chicken, 100 pork, and 106 beef samples. Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus were detected in 18.9 and 3.3% of chicken samples, respectively. However, Arcobacter species were not found in any of the pork and beef samples. Biochemical testing of isolates selected after enrichment revealed 38 A. butzleri isolates in chicken samples, but no A. cryaerophilus isolates were detected. In this study, A. butzleri was the most prevalent Arcobacter species in chicken meat, and contamination with Arcobacter species in pork and beef may be less prevalent in Korea.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Cattle; Chickens; Colony Count, Microbial; Consumer Product Safety; Food Contamination; Humans; Korea; Meat; Prevalence; Species Specificity; Swine
PubMed: 20615344
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-73.7.1313 -
MicrobiologyOpen Feb 2017The human food-borne pathogens Arcobacter butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been frequently isolated from the intestinal tracts and fecal samples of different farm...
The human food-borne pathogens Arcobacter butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been frequently isolated from the intestinal tracts and fecal samples of different farm animals and, after excretion, these microorganisms can contaminate the environment, including the aquatic one. In this regard, A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been detected in seawater and bivalves of coastal areas which are affected by fecal contamination. The capability of bivalve hemocytes to interact with bacteria has been proposed as the main factor inversely conditioning their persistence in the bivalve. In this study, 12 strains of Arcobacter spp. were isolated between January and May 2013 from bivalves of Central Adriatic Sea of Italy in order to examine their genetic diversity as well as in vitro interactions with bivalve components of the immune response, such as hemocytes. Of these, seven isolates were A. butzleri and five A. cryaerophilus, and were genetically different. All strains showed ability to induce spreading and respiratory burst of Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes. Overall, our data demonstrate the high genetic diversity of these microorganisms circulating in the marine study area. Moreover, the Arcobacter-bivalve interaction suggests that they do not have a potential to persist in the tissues of M. galloprovincialis.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Bivalvia; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; Feces; Hemocytes; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Italy; Molecular Typing; Oceans and Seas; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Respiratory Burst; Seawater
PubMed: 27650799
DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.400 -
Journal of Food Protection May 2009Arcobacter is considered an emergent foodborne and waterborne enteropathogen. However, its prevalence in foods of animal origin is only partially known, because most...
Arcobacter is considered an emergent foodborne and waterborne enteropathogen. However, its prevalence in foods of animal origin is only partially known, because most studies have been concentrated on poultry, pork, and beef, and methods applied do not allow identification of all currently accepted Arcobacter species. We investigated the prevalence of Arcobacter in 203 food samples, 119 samples of seven different types of meats and 84 samples of four types of shellfish. Isolates were identified in parallel by using a published multiplex PCR method and a recently described 16S rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism method that allows all currently accepted Arcobacter species to be characterized. The global prevalence of Arcobacter was 32%; it was highest in clams (5 of 5 samples, 100%) and chicken (9 of 14 samples, 64.3%) followed by pork (9 of 17 samples, 53.0%), mussels (23 of 56 samples, 41.1%), and duck meat (2 of 5 samples, 40.0%). Turkey meat and beef had a similar recovery rate (10 of 30 samples, 33.3%; 5 of 16 samples, 31.3%; respectively), and rabbit meat had the lowest rate (1 of 10 samples, 10.0%). No arcobacters were found in oysters, frozen shrimps, or sausages. This food survey is the first in which five of the seven accepted Arcobacter species have been isolated. Arcobacter butzleri was the most prevalent species (63.0% of isolates) followed by Arcobacter cryaerophilus (26.6%), Arcobacter mytili (4.7%), Arcobacter skirrowii (3.1%), and Arcobacter nitrofigilis (3.1%). Three (4.7%) of the isolates were classified as belonging to three potentially new phylogenetic lines. Our results indicated that Arcobacter species are widely distributed in the food products studied.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Consumer Product Safety; DNA, Bacterial; Food Contamination; Humans; Meat; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Prevalence; Sensitivity and Specificity; Shellfish; Species Specificity
PubMed: 19517742
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-72.5.1102 -
Journal of Food Protection Aug 2002A total of 16 broiler flocks slaughtered in the morning in eight Belgian poultry slaughterhouses were examined for the presence of Campylobacteraceae. In samples...
A total of 16 broiler flocks slaughtered in the morning in eight Belgian poultry slaughterhouses were examined for the presence of Campylobacteraceae. In samples collected before and after chilling, the prevalence of arcobacters was found to be higher than the prevalence of thermophilic campylobacters, with the slaughter procedure used having no clear effect. Two slaughterhouses were selected for a detailed investigation of the occurrence and distribution of arcobacters. Sampling carried out before slaughter revealed that both Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus were commonly present on the slaughter equipment in both plants. These findings indicate inadequate decontamination of the slaughterhouse environment and suggest potential Arcobacter contamination of broiler carcasses through the slaughter equipment. Even before evisceration, contamination levels of hundreds to several thousands of arcobacters per gram of neck skin were detected. It appears unlikely that contamination through slaughter equipment alone explains the high contamination levels found for poultry products. Arcobacters were not isolated from the 30 intestinal tracts sampled for each broiler flock examined. A. cryaerophilus was the only Arcobacter species recovered from the transport crate samples collected before and after washing. Arcobacter contamination during slaughter, either direct (from chicken intestinal content or feces) or indirect (from equipment), was not confirmed. The origin and the precise routes of contamination remain to be determined.
Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Arcobacter; Chickens; Equipment Contamination; Feces; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Food-Processing Industry; Prevalence
PubMed: 12182473
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-65.8.1233 -
Journal of Food Protection Aug 2013The bacterial contamination of food products can cause serious public health problems. Interest in Arcobacter contamination has increased due to the relationship between...
The bacterial contamination of food products can cause serious public health problems. Interest in Arcobacter contamination has increased due to the relationship between these bacteria and human enteritis. We studied the prevalence and genetic diversity of Arcobacter species at the retail level in the province of Alava in Basque Country, Spain. The results showed a high genetic diversity and indicated the regular presence of the main Arcobacter spp. associated with human enteric illness in food products. Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and Arcobacter skirrowii were detected with an overall prevalence close to 40% and were isolated from 15 (42.8%) fresh cow's milk samples, 12 (73.3%) shellfish samples, 11 (55%) chicken samples, 2 (10%) pork samples, and 1 (5%) beef sample. The results indicate the need to investigate the impact of Arcobacter spp. on public health.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Campylobacter; Consumer Product Safety; Female; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Genetic Variation; Humans; Meat; Milk; Prevalence; Shellfish; Spain
PubMed: 23905804
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-014 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Mar 2004The occurrence of Arcobacter spp. was studied in seawater and plankton samples collected from the Straits of Messina, Italy, during an annual period of observation by...
The occurrence of Arcobacter spp. was studied in seawater and plankton samples collected from the Straits of Messina, Italy, during an annual period of observation by using cultural and molecular techniques. A PCR assay with three pairs of primers targeting the 16S and 23S rRNA genes was used for detection and identification of Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and Arcobacter skirrowii in cultures and environmental samples. Only one of the Arcobacter species, A. butzleri, was isolated from seawater and plankton samples. With some samples the A. butzleri PCR assay gave amplified products when cultures were negative. A. cryaerophilus and A. skirrowii were never detected by culture on selective agar plates; they were detected only by PCR performed directly with environmental samples. Collectively, our data suggest that culturable and nonculturable forms of Arcobacter are present in marine environments. The assay was useful for detecting Arcobacter spp. both as free forms and intimately associated with plankton. This is the first report showing both direct isolation of A. butzleri and the presence of nonculturable Arcobacter spp. in the coastal environment of the Mediterranean Sea.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Base Sequence; DNA Primers; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Genes, Bacterial; Italy; Mediterranean Sea; Plankton; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Bacterial; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S; Seawater
PubMed: 15006743
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.3.1271-1276.2004 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology May 2009To evaluate the presence of Arcobacter spp. in different biological samples from domestic cats in Southern Italy by using a species-specific PCR assay and thus to...
AIMS
To evaluate the presence of Arcobacter spp. in different biological samples from domestic cats in Southern Italy by using a species-specific PCR assay and thus to elucidate their potential significance as sources of human infection.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We investigated the prevalence of Arcobacter DNA in oral swabs, in peripheral blood samples and fine needle lymph node aspirate specimens from 85 cats of which 17 were clinically healthy and 68 had clinical signs of oral disease or lymphadenomegaly. Overall, molecular analysis has shown that Arcobacter-specific DNA was found in 78.8% (67 of 85) of all the cats. In the 67 Arcobacter-positive cats, 66 (77.6%) and 29 (34.1%) were found positive for Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus, respectively. None of the examined samples gave a PCR product for Arcobacter skirrowii.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that pet cats commonly carry Arcobacter in the oral cavity. According to the clinical data, the Arcobacter detection results showed no significant difference between cats with oral pathology and those suffering from other different pathologies.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY
Pet cats harbour Arcobacter spp. and may play a role in their dissemination in the domestic habitat. The high prevalence in a limited number of cat samples in this study may be of significance.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Domestic; Arcobacter; Bacteremia; Carrier State; Cat Diseases; Cats; DNA, Bacterial; Female; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Italy; Lymph Nodes; Male; Mouth; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity
PubMed: 19226387
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2008.04133.x -
Journal of Food Protection Mar 2003In a poultry slaughterhouse, Arcobacter contamination was examined over a period of 1 week to establish possible routes of contamination. Samples were collected from the...
In a poultry slaughterhouse, Arcobacter contamination was examined over a period of 1 week to establish possible routes of contamination. Samples were collected from the slaughter equipment and from processing water before the onset of slaughter and from the first broiler flock slaughtered on each sampling day. Characterization of 1,079 isolates by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction and a random amplified polymorphic DNA assay resulted in the delineation of 159 Arcobacter butzleri and 139 Arcobacter cryaerophilus types. From almost all 140 neck skin samples collected before and after evisceration, A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus were isolated simultaneously at contamination levels ranging from 10(1) to 10(4) CFU/g. Only six A. butzleri types present in the slaughterhouse environment were also present on the broiler carcasses. None of the A. cryaerophilus genotypes were detected in both the neck skin and the environmental samples. All A. butzleri types isolated from the feather samples were also isolated from broiler neck skin samples. The slaughter equipment was contaminated with arcobacters before the onset of slaughter, but it appeared unlikely that contamination through the slaughter equipment alone explained the high contamination levels on poultry products. Arcobacters were also present in processing water, but types present in water and poultry products were different. Characterization of the Arcobacter isolates did not clarify the routes of transmission, probably because of the extreme heterogeneity among Arcobacter isolates. However, the results obtained in this study brought to light insufficient decontamination at the processing plant involved in the study and confirmed the survival capacity of certain A. butzleri strains.
Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Arcobacter; Colony Count, Microbial; Equipment Contamination; Food Contamination; Food Handling; Food Microbiology; Food-Processing Industry; Genotype; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry
PubMed: 12636286
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-66.3.364 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Aug 2012The genus Arcobacter has been associated with human illness and fecal contamination by humans and animals. To better characterize the health risk posed by this emerging...
The genus Arcobacter has been associated with human illness and fecal contamination by humans and animals. To better characterize the health risk posed by this emerging waterborne pathogen, we investigated the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. in Lake Erie beach waters. During the summer of 2010, water samples were collected 35 times from the Euclid, Villa Angela, and Headlands (East and West) beaches, located along Ohio's Lake Erie coast. After sample concentration, Arcobacter was quantified by real-time PCR targeting the Arcobacter 23S rRNA gene. Other fecal genetic markers (Bacteroides 16S rRNA gene [HuBac], Escherichia coli uidA gene, Enterococcus 23S rRNA gene, and tetracycline resistance genes) were also assessed. Arcobacter was detected frequently at all beaches, and both the occurrence and densities of Arcobacter spp. were higher at the Euclid and Villa Angela beaches (with higher levels of fecal contamination) than at the East and West Headlands beaches. The Arcobacter density in Lake Erie beach water was significantly correlated with the human-specific fecal marker HuBac according to Spearman's correlation analysis (r = 0.592; P < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that most of the identified Arcobacter sequences were closely related to Arcobacter cryaerophilus, which is known to cause gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Since human-pathogenic Arcobacter spp. are linked to human-associated fecal sources, it is important to identify and manage the human-associated contamination sources for the prevention of Arcobacter-associated public health risks at Lake Erie beaches.
Topics: Arcobacter; Bacterial Load; Bathing Beaches; Cluster Analysis; DNA, Bacterial; Fresh Water; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Ohio; Phylogeny; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 22660704
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.08009-11 -
Journal of Food Protection Jun 2014Arcobacter species have been recognized as potential food- and waterborne pathogens. The lack of standardized isolation methods and the relatively scarce knowledge about... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Arcobacter species have been recognized as potential food- and waterborne pathogens. The lack of standardized isolation methods and the relatively scarce knowledge about their prevalence and distribution as emerging pathogens are due to the limitations in their detection and identification. This study aimed to determine the presence and the identification of Arcobacter in chicken breast samples commercially retailed in San José, Costa Rica, as well as to describe the adherence and invasive potential of the strains to human cells (HEp-2). Fifty chicken breast samples were collected from retail markets in the metropolitan area of the country. Six different isolation methodologies were applied for the isolation of Arcobacter. Isolation strategies consisted of combinations of enrichments in de Boer or Houf selective broths and subsequent isolation in blood agar (directly or with a previous passive membrane filtration step) or Arcobacter selective agar. Suspicious colonies were identified with a genus-specific PCR, whereas species-level identification was achieved with a multiplex PCR. The overall isolation frequency of Arcobacter was 56%. From the isolation strategies, the combination of enrichment in Houf selective broth followed by filtration on blood agar showed the best performance, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 84%. A total of 46 isolates were confirmed as Arcobacter with the genus-specific PCR, from which 27 (59%) corresponded to Arcobacter butzleri, 9 (19%) to Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and 10 (22%) were not identified with this multiplex PCR. Regarding the potential pathogenicity, 75% of the isolates presented adherence to HEp-2 cells, while only 22% were invasive to that cell line. All invasive strains were A. butzleri or nonidentified strains. The results show the presence of potentially pathogenic Arcobacter in poultry and recognize the importance it should receive as a potential foodborne pathogen from public health authorities.
Topics: Animals; Arcobacter; Bacterial Adhesion; Biodiversity; Chickens; Colony Count, Microbial; Costa Rica; Food Contamination; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Meat; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; Virulence
PubMed: 24853508
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-368