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Microbiology Spectrum Aug 2022Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans ) are hematophagous ectoparasites of cattle causing production and welfare impacts in northern Australian herds. Skin lesions...
Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans ) are hematophagous ectoparasites of cattle causing production and welfare impacts in northern Australian herds. Skin lesions associated with buffalo fly infestation and nematode infection are manifested as focal dermatitis or ulcerated areas, most commonly on the medial canthus of the eye, along the lateral and ventral neck, and on the abdomen of cattle. For closely related horn flies (), Staphylococcus aureus has been suggested as a contributing factor in the development of lesions. To investigate the potential role of bacterial infection in the pathogenesis of buffalo fly lesions, swabs were taken from lesions and normal skin, and bacteria were also isolated from surface washings of buffalo flies and surface-sterilized homogenized flies. Bacterial identification was conducted by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) and strain typing by repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) and DNA sequencing to determine species similarity and virulence factors. Of 50 bacterial isolates collected from lesions, 38 were identified as Staphylococcus agnetis and 12 as Staphylococcus hyicus, whereas four isolates from normal skin were and one was Mammaliicoccus sciuri. Of the Staphylococcus isolates isolated from buffalo flies, five were identified as and three as . Fifty percent of the buffalo fly isolates had rep-PCR genotypic patterns identical to those of the lesion isolates. Genome sequencing of 16 and four isolates revealed closely similar virulence factor profiles, with all isolates possessing exfoliative toxin A and C genes. The findings from this study suggest the involvement of and in buffalo fly lesion pathogenesis. This should be taken into account in the development of effective treatment and control strategies for lesions. Skin lesions in cattle associated with feeding by fly species are a significant welfare issue in Australia, North and South America, and Europe. The development of these lesions has been attributed to a number of causal factors, but the exact etiology and pathogenesis were unclear. This study characterized Staphylococcus agnetis and Staphylococcus hyicus strains from cattle skin lesions and in vector flies and demonstrated their role in the pathogenesis of these lesions. These findings will aid the development of targeted and more effective treatment and control strategies for lesions associated with fly infestation in cattle.
Topics: Animals; Australia; Cattle; Muscidae; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus hyicus
PubMed: 35863026
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00873-22 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2023Staphylococci are major causes of infections in mammals. Mammals are colonized by diverse staphylococcal species, often with moderate to strong host specificity, and... (Review)
Review
Staphylococci are major causes of infections in mammals. Mammals are colonized by diverse staphylococcal species, often with moderate to strong host specificity, and colonization is a common source of infection. Staphylococcal infections of animals not only are of major importance for animal well-being but have considerable economic consequences, such as in the case of staphylococcal mastitis, which costs billions of dollars annually. Furthermore, pet animals can be temporary carriers of strains infectious to humans. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance is a great concern in livestock infections, as there is considerable antibiotic overuse, and resistant strains can be transferred to humans. With the number of working antibiotics continuously becoming smaller due to the concomitant spread of resistant strains, alternative approaches, such as anti-virulence, are increasingly being investigated to treat staphylococcal infections. For this, understanding the virulence mechanisms of animal staphylococcal pathogens is crucial. While many virulence factors have similar functions in humans as animals, there are increasingly frequent reports of host-specific virulence factors and mechanisms. Furthermore, we are only beginning to understand virulence mechanisms in animal-specific staphylococcal pathogens. This review gives an overview of animal infections caused by staphylococci and our knowledge about the virulence mechanisms involved.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Virulence; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcal Infections; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Virulence Factors; Mammals; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 37834035
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914587 -
Veterinary Microbiology Mar 2016The most common causative agent of exudative epidermitis (EE) in pigs is Staphylococcus hyicus. S. hyicus can be grouped into toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains based... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The most common causative agent of exudative epidermitis (EE) in pigs is Staphylococcus hyicus. S. hyicus can be grouped into toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains based on their ability to cause EE in pigs and specific virulence genes have been identified. A genome wide comparison between non-toxigenic and toxigenic strains has never been performed. In this study, we sequenced eleven toxigenic and six non-toxigenic S. hyicus strains and performed comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis. Our analyses revealed two genomic regions encoding genes that were predominantly found in toxigenic strains and are predicted to encode for virulence determinants for EE. All toxigenic strains encoded for one of the exfoliative toxins ExhA, ExhB, ExhC, or ExhD. In addition, one of these regions encoded for an ADP-ribosyltransferase (EDIN, epidermal cell differentiation inhibitor) and a novel putative RNase toxin (polymorphic toxin) and was associated with the gene encoding ExhA. A clear differentiation between toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains based on genomic and phylogenetic analyses was not apparent. The results of this study support the observation that exfoliative toxins of S. hyicus and S. aureus are located on genetic elements such as pathogenicity islands, phages, prophages and plasmids.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Mapping; Exfoliatins; Genomics; Phylogeny; Species Specificity; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus hyicus; Swine; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 26931389
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2016.01.018 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Aug 2020This review aims to summarize recent discoveries and advancements regarding the characteristics of () and its role in poultry pathology. is an emerging pathogen that... (Review)
Review
This review aims to summarize recent discoveries and advancements regarding the characteristics of () and its role in poultry pathology. is an emerging pathogen that was primarily associated with mastitis in dairy cattle. After a presumed host jump from cattle to poultry, it was identified as a pathological agent in broiler chickens (), causing lameness induced by bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), septicemia, and valvular endocarditis. Economic and welfare losses caused by lameness are global problems in the poultry industry, and has been shown to have a potential to induce high incidences of lameness in broiler chickens. exhibits a distinct repertoire of virulence factors found in many different staphylococci. It is closely related to and , hence infections caused by may be misdiagnosed or even undiagnosed. As there are very few reports on in poultry, many facts about its pathogenesis, epidemiology, routes of transmission, and the potential impacts on the poultry industry remain unknown.
PubMed: 32823920
DOI: 10.3390/ani10081421 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2021(), as the main pathogen of exudative epidermitis (EE) in piglet, can cause a wide variety of diseases, ranging from bovine mastitis, chicken arthritis and even human...
(), as the main pathogen of exudative epidermitis (EE) in piglet, can cause a wide variety of diseases, ranging from bovine mastitis, chicken arthritis and even human sepsis, which has brought serious threats to animals and human. The potential threat of infection to both public and animal health has aroused great concern. The aim of our study was to explore the efficacy of insect defensin DLP4 against ACCC 61734 and . The efficacies of DLP4 against ACCC 61734 showed high antibacterial activity (0.92 μM), a long postantibiotic effect (9.54 h), a synergistic effect with ceftriaxone, penicillin and amoxicillin, a stable bacteriostatic effect, and intracellular bacteriostatic activity against ACCC 61734 in HaCaT cells. Besides, the antibacterial mechanism of DLP4 against ACCC 61734 was explored for the first time, which indicated that the antibacterial effect of DLP4 was related to its ability to destroy cell wall and generate membrane vesicles. The therapeutic effect of DLP4 was evaluated through mouse abscess model, and the results showed that DLP4 could effectively alleviate the mouse skin abscess by inhibiting bacterial proliferation and regulating cytokines. This study first demonstrated that DLP4 may be a promising therapeutic agent against ACCC 61734 infection.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Defensins; Insecta; Mice; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus hyicus; Swine
PubMed: 34026659
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.638598 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2021is the most common causative agent of exudative epidermitis (EE) in piglets. can be grouped into toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains based on its ability to cause EE...
is the most common causative agent of exudative epidermitis (EE) in piglets. can be grouped into toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains based on its ability to cause EE in pigs. However, the inflammatory response of piglets infected with toxigenic and non-toxigenic has not been elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the serum cytokine profile in piglets inoculated with toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains and recorded the clinical signs in piglets. Fifteen piglets were divided into three groups ( = 5) and inoculated with a toxigenic strain (ZC-4), a non-toxigenic strain (CF-1), and PBS (control), respectively. The changes in serum levels of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon-γ, transforming growth factor-β1, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were evaluated using a cytokine array at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h post inoculation. The results showed that piglets infected with the toxigenic strain exhibited more severe clinical signs and higher mortality than those infected with the non-toxigenic strain. The serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β were significantly increased in toxigenic-and non-toxigenic-strain-infected piglets compared to those in the control group ( < 0.05), while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly up-regulated only in toxigenic group than in control group ( < 0.05). These results indicated that piglets infected with toxigenic and non-toxigenic showed differential infection status and inflammatory responses. Both toxigenic- and non-toxigenic- infection could induce a pro-inflammatory reaction in piglets. In addition, the toxigenic strain induced a strong anti-inflammatory response in piglets as indicated by the increased serum level of IL-10, which may be associated with the severe clinical signs and increased mortality and may be the key cytokine response responsible for pathogenic mechanisms of .
PubMed: 33665221
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.639141 -
The Veterinary Quarterly Dec 2022Lameness or leg weakness is the main cause of poor poultry welfare and serious economic losses in meat-type poultry production worldwide. Disorders related to the legs... (Review)
Review
Lameness or leg weakness is the main cause of poor poultry welfare and serious economic losses in meat-type poultry production worldwide. Disorders related to the legs are often associated with multifactorial aetiology which makes diagnosis and proper treatment difficult. Among the infectious agents, bacteria of genus are one of the most common causes of bone infections in poultry and are some of the oldest bacterial infections described in poultry. Staphylococci readily infect bones and joints and are associated with bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), spondylitis, arthritis, tendinitis, tenosynovitis, osteomyelitis, turkey osteomyelitis complex (TOC), bumblefoot, dyschondroplasia with osteomyelitis and amyloid arthropathy. Overall, 61 staphylococcal species have been described so far, and 56% of them (34/61) have been isolated from clinical cases in poultry. Although is the principal cause of poultry staphylococcosis, other species, such as , , have also been isolated from skeletal lesions. Antimicrobial treatment of staphylococcosis is usually ineffective due to the location and type of lesion, as well as the possible occurrence of multidrug-resistant strains. Increasing demand for antibiotic-free farming has contributed to the use of alternatives to antibiotics. Other prevention methods, such as better management strategies, early feed restriction or use of slow growing broilers should be implemented to avoid rapid growth rate, which is associated with locomotor problems. This review aims to summarise and address current knowledge on skeletal disorders associated with spp. infection in poultry.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Lameness, Animal; Poultry; Poultry Diseases; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus
PubMed: 35076352
DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2022.2033880 -
Germs Sep 2016Staphylococcus hyicus is a coagulase-variable Staphylococcus spp. well-known by veterinarians since it is the major agent of a severe cutaneous infection in piglets...
INTRODUCTION
Staphylococcus hyicus is a coagulase-variable Staphylococcus spp. well-known by veterinarians since it is the major agent of a severe cutaneous infection in piglets called exudative epidermitis. In other species the symptoms of infection are quite different. Human cases are uncommon but seem to occur more frequently after repeated contacts with farm animals.
CASE REPORT
We report the case of a 58-year-old man suffering from debilitating subacute lumbar pain, in whom diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis was based on spine MRI and positive microbiological results. A strain of S. hyicus was surprisingly isolated from blood cultures and bone biopsy. Identification was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS, Bruker, USA), and the patient was successfully cured with a six-week course of anti-staphylococcal antibiotic regimen.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of S. hyicus in human clinical samples is very low, but may be underestimated. This pathogen may enter the bloodstream through a skin injury, and then induce various pyogenic manifestations in people working with farm animals. S. hyicus exfoliative toxins, responsible for dermatological lesions in piglets, seem unable to damage the human epidermis, explaining the absence of cutaneous blisters in the previously reported cases. Precise data about its pathogenicity in humans and the adequate therapy are lacking.
PubMed: 27622163
DOI: 10.11599/germs.2016.1097 -
PloS One 2016Staphylococcus hyicus has caused great losses in the swine industry by inducing piglet exudative epidermitis (EE), sow mastitis, metritis, and other diseases and is a...
Staphylococcus hyicus has caused great losses in the swine industry by inducing piglet exudative epidermitis (EE), sow mastitis, metritis, and other diseases and is a threat to human health. The pathogenesis of EE, sow mastitis, and metritis involves the interaction between the host and virulent protein factors of S. hyicus, however, the proteins that interact with the host, especially the host immune system, are unclear. In the present study, immunoproteomics was used to screen the immunogenic proteins of S. hyicus strain ZC-4. The cellular and secreted proteins of S. hyicus strain ZC-4 were obtained, separated by 2D gel electrophoresis, and further analyzed by western blot with S. hyicus strain ZC-4-infected swine serum. Finally, 28 specific immunogenic proteins including 15 cellular proteins and 13 secreted proteins, 26 of which were novel immunogenic proteins from S. hyicus, were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. To further verify their immunogenicity, two representative proteins (acetate kinase [cellular] and enolase [secreted]) were chosen for expression, and the resultant recombinant proteins could react with S. hyicus ZC-4-infected swine serum. In mice, both acetate kinase and enolase activated the immune response by increasing G-CSF and MCP-5 expression, and acetate kinase further activated the immune response by increasing IL-12 expression. Enolase can confer better protection against S.hycius than acetate kinase in mice. For the first time to our knowledge, our results provide detailed descriptions of the cellular and secreted proteins of S. hyicus strain ZC-4. These immunogenic proteins may contribute to investigation and elucidation of the pathogenesis of S. hyicus and provide new candidates for subunit vaccines in the future.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Proteome; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Staphylococcus hyicus
PubMed: 27930728
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167686 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Sep 1983A total of 158 Staphylococcus strains from various sources were characterized by biochemical, physiological, and morphological tests. Numerical taxonomy was applied by... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
A total of 158 Staphylococcus strains from various sources were characterized by biochemical, physiological, and morphological tests. Numerical taxonomy was applied by using these features. Taxonomic analysis was done with programs run under the MVS-TSO system of the IBM 370 complex and PDP-10 system of the National Institutes of Health. DNA-DNA hybridization with nitrocellulose filters was done to compare selected atypical cultures with American Type Culture Collection reference strains. We found that the use of the nomenclature of Bergey's Manual (8th edition) to identify these strains by species was not adequate. DNA homology values supported the formation of Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus separate from Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. The three tests that best separated these strains into four species were (i) tube coagulase (6-h or 24-h porcine plasma or 24-h Difco rabbit plasma), (ii) production of acetoin or acid aerobically from ribose, maltose, or trehalose, and (iii) growth in the presence of novobiocin. Four strains of S. hyicus subsp. hyicus (VII76, VII113, VII131, and VA519) gave typical enterotoxigenic responses in monkey-feeding tests but were negative for enterotoxins A through E, suggesting the presence of one or more new enterotoxins. Two coagulase-negative, heat-stable DNase-positive strains (D143 and ARM) could not be classified by either DNA-DNA hybridization or numerical taxonomy, and D143 was enterotoxigenic as measured by the monkey-feeding bioassay. DNA homology showed that strain FRI-698M was more closely related to S. epidermidis than to S. aureus, yet it produced enterotoxin D. These data suggest the occurrence of coagulase-negative enterotoxigenic strains that are not S. aureus; nonetheless, a positive tube coagulase test and heat-stable DNase test should together be useful for routine screening of most potentially enterotoxigenic staphylococci in foods.
Topics: DNA, Bacterial; Enterotoxins; Species Specificity; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 6639019
DOI: 10.1128/aem.46.3.649-660.1983