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Veterinary Microbiology Jul 2023Brucella suis commonly infects swine but occasionally also other animal species and humans. Wild boars are the most important reservoir of B. suis biovar 2, continually...
Brucella suis commonly infects swine but occasionally also other animal species and humans. Wild boars are the most important reservoir of B. suis biovar 2, continually infecting susceptible hosts through close contact. Nevertheless, the genetic diversity of B. suis in wildlife remains understudied. Here, we typed 17 Slovenian B. suis biovar 2 isolates obtained in 2017-2019 from wild boars (n = 16) and a hare (n = 1) using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). To assess the global phylogenetic diversity of B. suis, we compared them to 126 publicly available B. suis genomes. All Slovenian isolates fell within the biovar 2 lineage, confirming the previous multiplex PCR typing results. According to MLST-21, the wild boar isolates were of sequence types (STs) ST16 (n = 8) and ST153 (n = 8); the maximum genetic distance between isolates of the same ST was 28 wgMLST alleles. The ST153 isolates were restricted to the Slovenian-Croatian border and clustered together with the Croatian ST153 isolates from swine, indicating cross-border transmission of B. suis ST153 strain. The hare isolate was of ST40 and was genetically distant (≥ 489 alleles) from the wild boar isolates. The genome-wide phylogeny clearly separated different B. suis biovars. The present study is the first report on the population structure of B. suis in wildlife in Slovenia and shows that the Slovenian B. suis population is genetically heterogeneous. At the species level, B. suis biovars are clearly separated in the WGS-based phylogenetic tree and can therefore be reliably predicted using WGS.
Topics: Humans; Swine; Animals; Brucella suis; Animals, Wild; Phylogeography; Brucellosis; Phylogeny; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Hares; Sus scrofa; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 37104938
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109751 -
BMC Genomics Sep 2017Swine brucellosis caused by B. suis biovar 2 is an emergent disease in domestic pigs in Europe. The emergence of this pathogen has been linked to the increase of...
BACKGROUND
Swine brucellosis caused by B. suis biovar 2 is an emergent disease in domestic pigs in Europe. The emergence of this pathogen has been linked to the increase of extensive pig farms and the high density of infected wild boars (Sus scrofa). In Portugal and Spain, the majority of strains share specific molecular characteristics, which allowed establishing an Iberian clonal lineage. However, several strains isolated from wild boars in the North-East region of Spain are similar to strains isolated in different Central European countries.
RESULTS
Comparative analysis of five newly fully sequenced B. suis biovar 2 strains belonging to the main circulating clones in Iberian Peninsula, with publicly available Brucella spp. genomes, revealed that strains from Iberian clonal lineage share 74% similarity with those reference genomes. Besides the 210 kb translocation event present in all biovar 2 strains, an inversion with 944 kb was presented in chromosome I of strains from the Iberian clone. At left and right crossover points, the inversion disrupted a TRAP dicarboxylate transporter, DctM subunit, and an integral membrane protein TerC. The gene dctM is well conserved in Brucella spp. except in strains from the Iberian clonal lineage. Intraspecies comparative analysis also exposed a number of biovar-, haplotype- and strain-specific insertion-deletion (INDELs) events and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could explain differences in virulence and host specificities. Most discriminative mutations were associated to membrane related molecules (29%) and enzymes involved in catabolism processes (20%). Molecular identification of both B. suis biovar 2 clonal lineages could be easily achieved using the target-PCR procedures established in this work for the evaluated INDELs.
CONCLUSION
Whole-genome analyses supports that the B. suis biovar 2 Iberian clonal lineage evolved from the Central-European lineage and suggests that the genomic specialization of this pathogen in the Iberian Peninsula is independent of a specific genomic event(s), but instead driven by allopatric speciation, resulting in the establishment of a new ecovar.
Topics: Brucella suis; Chromosomes, Bacterial; Evolution, Molecular; Genomics; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Species Specificity
PubMed: 28899413
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4113-8 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Nov 2022Vaccines against Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis have been based on weakened or killed bacteria, however there is no recombinant vaccine for disease...
Vaccines against Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis have been based on weakened or killed bacteria, however there is no recombinant vaccine for disease prevention or therapy. This study attempted to predict IFN-γ epitopes, T cell cytotoxicity, and T lymphocytes in order to produce a multiepitope vaccine based on BtpA, Omp16, Omp28, virB10, Omp25, and Omp31 antigens against B. melitensis, B. abortus, and B. suis. AAY, GPGPG, and EAAAK peptides were used as epitope linkers, while the PADRE sequence was used as a Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 agonist. The final construct included 389 amino acids, and was a soluble protein with a molecular weight of 41.3 kDa, and nonallergenic and antigenic properties. Based on molecular docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations such as Gyration, RMSF, and RMSD, as well as tertiary structure validation methods, the modeled protein had a stable structure capable of interacting with TLR2/4. As a result, this novel vaccine may stimulate immune responses in B and T cells, and could prevent infection by B. suis, B. abortus, and B. melitensis.
Topics: Humans; Brucella melitensis; Toll-Like Receptor 2; Epitope Mapping; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; Brucellosis; Toll-Like Receptor 4; Molecular Docking Simulation; Antigens, Bacterial; Amino Acids
PubMed: 36115112
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113557 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases May 2020Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of remarkable importance worldwide. The focus of this systematic review was to investigate occupational brucellosis and to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of remarkable importance worldwide. The focus of this systematic review was to investigate occupational brucellosis and to identify the main infection risks for each group exposed to the pathogen. Seven databases were used to identify papers related to occupational brucellosis: CABI, Cochrane, Pubmed, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. The search resulted in 6123 studies, of which 63 were selected using the quality assessment tools guided from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Case Report Guidelines (CARE). Five different job-related groups were considered greatly exposed to the disease: rural workers, abattoir workers, veterinarians and veterinary assistants, laboratory workers and hunters. The main risk factors and exposure sources involved in the occupational infection observed from the analysis of the articles were direct contact with animal fluids, failure to comply with the use of personal protective equipment, accidental exposure to live attenuated anti-brucellosis vaccines and non-compliance with biosafety standards. Brucella species frequently isolated from job-related infection were Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, Brucella suis and Brucella canis. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed using the case-control studies and demonstrated that animal breeders, laboratory workers and abattoir workers have 3.47 [95% confidence interval (CI); 1.47-8.19] times more chance to become infected with Brucella spp. than others individuals that have no contact with the possible sources of infection. This systematic review improved the understanding of the epidemiology of brucellosis as an occupational disease. Rural workers, abattoir workers, veterinarians, laboratory workers and hunters were the groups more exposed to occupational Brucella spp. infection. Moreover, it was observed that the lack of knowledge about brucellosis among frequently exposed professionals, in addition to some behaviors, such as negligence in the use of individual and collective protective measures, increases the probability of infection.
Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Brucella; Brucellosis; Humans; Laboratory Personnel; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Veterinarians
PubMed: 32392223
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008164 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology May 2022
Review
Topics: Animals; Brucella suis; Brucellosis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Humans
PubMed: 35583369
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00984-21 -
Journal of Microbiology and... Jan 2022spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that invade, survive and proliferate in numerous phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, thereby leading to human and...
spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that invade, survive and proliferate in numerous phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, thereby leading to human and animal brucellosis. Outer membrane proteins (Omps) are major immunogenic and protective antigens that are implicated in virulence. A strain deleted of the gene has not been obtained which suggests that the Omp16 protein is vital for survival. Nevertheless, we previously constructed an conditional deletion strain of , ΔOmp16. Here, the virulence and immune response elicted by this strain were assessed in a mouse model of infection. Splenomegaly was significantly reduced at two weeks post-infection in ΔOmp16-infected mice compared to infection with the parental strain. The bacterial load in the spleen also was significantly decreased at this post-infection time point in ΔOmp16-infected mice. Histopathological changes in the spleen were observed via hematoxylineosin staining and microscopic examination which showed that infection with the ΔOmp16 strain alleviated spleen histopathological alterations compared to mice infected with the parental strain. Moreover, the levels of humoral and cellular immunity were similar in both ΔOmp16-infected mice and parental strain-infected mice. The results overall show that the virulence of ΔOmp16 is attenuated markedly, but that the immune responses mediated by the deletion and parental strains in mice are indistinguishable. The data provide important insights that illuminate the pathogenic strategies adopted by .
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antigens, Bacterial; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; Brucella; Brucellosis; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Immunity; Immunity, Cellular; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Spleen; Virulence
PubMed: 34675138
DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2107.07016 -
African Journal of Infectious Diseases 2018Brucellosis in pigs at East Java Indonesia has not only cause great economic losses due to a decrease in productivity of livestock but also are zoonotic. Infection on...
BACKGROUND
Brucellosis in pigs at East Java Indonesia has not only cause great economic losses due to a decrease in productivity of livestock but also are zoonotic. Infection on free brucelosis pigs were initially begun with the infected pigs both male and female, or the use of superior male pigs together. The elimination of the disease either on a group or population is considered as the most effective way to prevent the spread of the disease in pigs. Prevention efforts mainly addressed to vaccination, sanitary maintenace and government policy. The purpose of this study was to isolated and identified as the causative agent.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The survey area were the pig farm owned by breeder farmers in the area of East Java Indonesia, at Kediri, Malang, Blitar and Probolinggo district. Blood samples obtained were tested with RBT. Pigs are suspected of being infected with Brucella if the RBT was positive that characterized with agglutination in the test results. If RBT was positive, bacteriological examination will be performed, with samples of visceral foetus organ, ie liver, spleen, placenta and amniotic fluid. Isolation and identification of were used Brucella Broth and Brucella Agar, and if the bacteri growthwill be continued with biochemical test ie H2S, urease, citrate, catalase and oxidase test. The positive results of showed positive urease, catalase andoxidase, but negative for citrate and H2S.
RESULTS
RBT and bacteriolgical examination showed that 1 sample was positive , and 19 negative. The positive results showed positive urease, catalase and oxidase, but negative for citrate and H2S.
CONCLUSION
Based on RBT test and bacteriological examination, there was 1 positive sample of brucellla suis, that is sample coming from Kediri district.
PubMed: 29619446
DOI: 10.2101/Ajid.12v1S.22 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2019Brucellosis is considered as endemic disease of animals and humans since thousands of years in Egypt. However, brucellosis in pigs has never been reported in Egypt....
Brucellosis is considered as endemic disease of animals and humans since thousands of years in Egypt. However, brucellosis in pigs has never been reported in Egypt. Thus, serological and molecular assays were applied to detect anti- antibodies and DNA in serum samples collected from pigs. In total 331 blood samples collected from male and female pigs at slaughterhouses of Cairo and Giza governorates were investigated using c- and i-ELISA and real-time PCR. Anti- antibodies were detected in 16 (4.83%) and 36 (10.8%) sera by i-ELISA and c-ELISA, respectively. DNA was detected in 10 (3.02%) seropositive samples and identified as (7/10) (3/10). A higher prevelance was found in boars. This is the first study investigating pig brucellosis in Egypt. The results of this study will raise awareness for brucellosis in these farm animals and will help to develop effective control strategies.
PubMed: 31756893
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040248 -
Infection and Immunity Dec 2007Brucella is a facultative intracellular pathogen of various mammals and the etiological agent of brucellosis. We recently demonstrated that dendritic cells (DCs), which...
Brucella is a facultative intracellular pathogen of various mammals and the etiological agent of brucellosis. We recently demonstrated that dendritic cells (DCs), which are critical components of adaptive immunity, are highly susceptible to Brucella infection. Furthermore, Brucella prevented the infected DCs from engaging in maturation processes and impaired their capacity to present antigen to naive T cells and to secrete interleukin-12 (IL-12). The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phenotype is largely associated with the virulence of Brucella. Depending on whether they express the O-side chain of LPS or not, the bacteria display a smooth or rough phenotype. Rough Brucella mutants are attenuated and induce a potent protective T-cell-dependent immune response. Due to the essential role of DCs in the initiation of T-cell-dependent adaptive immune responses, it seemed pertinent to study the interaction between rough Brucella strains and human DCs. In the present paper, we report that, in contrast to smooth bacteria, infection of DCs with rough mutants of Brucella suis or Brucella abortus leads to both phenotypic and functional maturation of infected cells. Rough mutant-infected DCs then acquire the capacity to produce IL-12 and to stimulate naive CD4+ T lymphocytes. Experiments with rough and smooth purified LPS of Brucella supported the hypothesis of an indirect involvement of the O-side chain. These results provide new data concerning the role of LPS in Brucella virulence strategy and illuminate phenomena contributing to immune protection conferred by rough vaccine strains.
Topics: Brucella abortus; Brucella suis; Dendritic Cells; Humans; Interleukin-12; Lipopolysaccharides; O Antigens; T-Lymphocytes; Th1 Cells; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 17938225
DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00931-07 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Brucellosis remains an important zoonotic disease in several parts of the world; in Greece, although it is declining, it is still endemic, affecting both the financial...
Brucellosis remains an important zoonotic disease in several parts of the world; in Greece, although it is declining, it is still endemic, affecting both the financial and public health sectors. The current study was undertaken to investigate the presence and distribution of virulence-associated genes among spp. clinical strains isolated during 2001-2022. Species identification was performed using conventional methodology and Bruce-ladder PCR. The presence of the virulence genes N, A, A, A, 19, , and B was investigated using PCR. During the study period, a total of 334 isolates were identified, of which 328 (98.2%) were detected from positive blood cultures; 315 (94.3%) of the isolates were identified as , whilst the remaining 16 (4.8%) and 3 (0.9%) were identified as and , respectively. Notably, two of the were assigned to the REV-1 vaccine strain type. The presence of the 19, A, N and A genes was confirmed in all 315 isolates, while , A, and B genes were detected in all but 9, 2, 1 and 1 of the isolates, respectively. All eight virulence genes were amplified in all and isolates. The detection rate of virulence genes did not differ significantly among species. In conclusion, brucellosis is still considered a prevailing zoonotic disease in Greece, with the majority of the isolates identified as . The eight pathogenicity-associated genes were present in almost all isolates, although the gene was absent from a limited number of isolates.
PubMed: 38003739
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111274