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Song X, Zhong Z, Bai J, Pu T, Wang X, He H, Chen Y, Yang C, Zhang Q. Emergence of genetic diversity and multi-drug resistant Clostridium perfringens from wild birds. BMC Vet Res 2024; 20:300. [PMID: 38971814 PMCID: PMC11227187 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-04168-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is an important zoonotic microorganism that can cause animal and human infections, however information about the prevalence status in wild birds of this pathogenic bacterium is currently limited. RESULT In this study, 57 strains of C. perfringens were isolated from 328 fecal samples of wild birds. All the isolates were identified as type A and 70.18% of the isolates carried the cpb2 gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that and 22.80% of the isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant strains. The MLST analysis of the 57 isolates from wild birds was categorized into 55 different sequence types (STs) and clustered into eight clonal complexes (CCs) with an average of 20.1 alleles and the Simpson Diversity index (Ds) of 0.9812, and revealed a high level of genetic diversity within the C. perfringens populations. Interestingly, the isolates from swan goose were clustered in the same CC while isolates from other bird species were more scattered suggesting that a potential difference in genetic diversity among the C. perfringens populations associated with different bird species. CONCLUSION C. perfringens exhibits a wide range of host adaptations, varying degrees of antimicrobial resistance, and a high degree of genetic diversity in wild birds. Understanding the prevalence, toxin type, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic diversity of C. perfringens in wildlife populations is essential for developing effective strategies for disease control and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglong Song
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyu Zhong
- Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jiade Bai
- Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Tianchun Pu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies in Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China
| | - Xuehan Wang
- School of Biomedicine, Beijing City University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongxuan He
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqian Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
| | - Congshan Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.
| | - Qingxun Zhang
- Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China.
- School of Biomedicine, Beijing City University, Beijing, China.
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Jiang Y, Pan Y, Yin J. Prevalence, toxin-genotype distribution, and transmission of Clostridium perfringens from the breeding and milking process of dairy farms. Food Microbiol 2024; 120:104485. [PMID: 38431330 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the distribution, transmission, and cross-contamination of Clostridium perfringens during the breeding and milking process from dairy farms. The prevalence of 22.3% (301/1351) yielded 494 C. perfringens isolates; all isolates were type A, except for one type D, and 69.8% (345/494) of the isolates carried atyp. cpb2 and only 0.6% (3/494) of the isolates carried cons. cpb2. C. perfringens detected throughout the whole process but without type F. 150 isolates were classified into 94 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotypes; among them, six clusters contained 34 PFGE genotypes with 58.0% isolates which revealed epidemic correlation and genetic diversity; four PFGE genotypes (PT57, PT9, PT61, and PT8) were the predominant genotypes. The isolates from different farms demonstrated high homology. Our study confirmed that C. perfringens demonstrated broad cross-contamination from nipples and hides of dairy cattle, followed by personnel and tools and air-introduced raw milk during the milking process. In conclusion, raw milk could serve as a medium for the transmission of C. perfringens, which could result in human food poisoning. Monitoring and controlling several points of cross-contamination during the milking process are essential as is implementing stringent hygiene measures to prevent further spread and reduce the risk of C. perfringens infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfen Jiang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Yifan Pan
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jingyi Yin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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Zhong JX, Zheng HR, Wang YY, Bai LL, Du XL, Wu Y, Lu JX. Molecular characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of Clostridium perfringens from different regions in China, from 2013 to 2021. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1195083. [PMID: 37485514 PMCID: PMC10359303 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1195083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is a significant foodborne pathogen and a common cause of intestinal diseases in both animals and humans. Our study investigated MLST, phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profiles, and resistance genes among isolates from human, animal and food. 186 C. perfringens isolates were obtained from nine provinces in China between 2013 and 2021. Additionally, some specific ST complexes were analyzed by cgMLST and cgSNP to investigate genetic relatedness. MLST indicated the most prevalent STs of C. perfringens of human and animal origin were as follows: ST221 (5/147), ST62 (4/147), ST408 (4/147), and ST493 (4/147) were predominant in humans, while ST479 (5/25) was the major type in animals. Within the same ST complex, genetically unrelated relationships or potential clustering/transmission events were further recognized by cgMLST and cgSNP, illustrating that these two methods are valuable in defining outbreaks and transmission events. All tested isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and meropenem. The rates of resistance to metronidazole, penicillin, cefoxitin, moxifloxacin, and chloramphenicol were low (metronidazole: 1.08%; penicillin: 9.68%; cefoxitin: 0.54%; moxifloxacin: 6.45%; and chloramphenicol: 3.76%). Interestingly, 49.66% of human origin were clindamycin-resistant, and 18.2% were penicillin-insensitive. Importantly, the portion of MDR isolates was significantly lower than in previous reports. The study provides an overview of the epidemiological characteristics of C. perfringens with different origins and hosts in China. C. perfringens demonstrated remarkable genetic diversity and distinct molecular features compared to antibiotic-resistance profiles from other studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia xin Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Hao ran Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan yuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Lu lu Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao li Du
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jin xing Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China
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Cull C, Singu VK, Cull BJ, Lechtenberg KF, Amachawadi RG, Schutz JS, Bryan KA. Efficacy of Two Probiotic Products Fed Daily to Reduce Clostridium perfringens-Based Adverse Health and Performance Effects in Dairy Calves. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:1513. [PMID: 36358168 PMCID: PMC9686916 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is a spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium which produces toxins and exoenzymes that cause disease in calves, especially necro-hemorrhagic enteritis-associated diarrhea often resulting in death. Clostridium infections are currently being treated with antibiotics, but even with the prudent administration of antibiotics, there are significant rates of recurrence. Probiotics, an alternative to antibiotics, are commonly employed to prevent clostridial infections. The objectives of our study were to demonstrate that two commercially available products, when used as daily, direct-fed microbials, are effective in reducing adverse effects of an experimentally induced C. perfringens infection in dairy calves. We conducted a single site efficacy study with masking using a randomized design comprising 10 calves allocated to 3 treatment groups (probiotic 1, probiotic 2, and control). The procedures such as general health scores, body weight, blood samples, and fecal sample collections were done followed by experimental challenge of calves with C. perfringens. Daily feeding of L. animalis LA51 and P. freudenreichii PF24 without or with Bacillus lichenformis CH200 and Bacillus subtilis CH201, before, during and after an oral challenge of C. perfringens significantly reduced the incidence and severity of diarrhea while improving general impression and appearance scores of calves. Most notably, survival of calves in the two probiotic-fed groups was significantly higher than for control calves and further substantiates the potential economic and health benefits of feeding effective probiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley Cull
- Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
- Central States Research Centre, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
| | - Vijay K. Singu
- Central States Research Centre, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
| | - Brooke J. Cull
- Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
- Central States Research Centre, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
| | - Kelly F. Lechtenberg
- Midwest Veterinary Services, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
- Central States Research Centre, Inc., Oakland, NE 68045, USA
| | - Raghavendra G. Amachawadi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
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Yadav JP, Kaur S, Dhaka P, Vijay D, Bedi JS. Prevalence, molecular characterization, and antimicrobial resistance profile of Clostridium perfringens from India: A scoping review. Anaerobe 2022; 77:102639. [PMID: 36108893 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2022.102639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is one of the most important foodborne pathogens that causes histotoxic diseases and intestinal infections in both humans and animals. The present scoping review has been designed to analyze the literature published during 2000-2021 from India on the prevalence, molecular characterization, and antimicrobial resistance profile of C. perfringens isolates recovered from humans, animals, animal-based foods, and associated environmental samples. The peer-reviewed articles retrieved from four electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science) were assessed using PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A total of 32 studies from India were selected on the basis of their relevance and inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of C. perfringens among domestic animals having history of clinical symptoms and among healthy animals was found to be 65.8% (508/772) and 42.8% (493/1152), respectively. The pathogen was also detected in clinically affected wild animals (75%), healthy wild animals (35.4%), and captive birds (24.5%). The detection of C. perfringens among poultry having necrotic enteritis and among healthy birds was found to be 66.8% (321/480) and 25.6% (80/312), respectively. The detection of pathogen among animal-based foods (i.e., meat, milk, and fish and their products) and environmental samples depicted a prevalence of 20.8% (325/1562) and 30.2% (23/76), respectively. However, the prevalence of C. perfringens among humans having history of diarrhea and among healthy humans was found to be 25% (70/280) and 23.2% (36/155), respectively. The genotyping of C. perfringens isolates revealed that toxin type A was found to be the most prevalent genotype. Along with the alpha toxin gene (cpa), beta (cpb), epsilon (etx), iota (itx), enterotoxin (cpe), beta-2 toxin (cpb2), and NetB (netB) toxins were also detected in different combinations. Antimicrobial resistance profile of C. perfringens isolates recovered from different sources demonstrated that the highest resistance was detected against sulphonamides (76.8%) and tetracycline (41.3%) by phenotypic and genotypic detection methods, respectively. Comprehensive scientific studies covering different geographical areas at the human-animal-environment interface are crucial to generalize the real magnitude of C. perfringens-associated problem in India and for establishing a reliable database.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Prakash Yadav
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Rampura Phul, Bathinda, 151103, India.
| | - Simranpreet Kaur
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, 141004, India
| | - Pankaj Dhaka
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, 141004, India
| | - Deepthi Vijay
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur, 680651, India
| | - Jasbir Singh Bedi
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, 141004, India
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Camargo A, Guerrero-Araya E, Castañeda S, Vega L, Cardenas-Alvarez MX, Rodríguez C, Paredes-Sabja D, Ramírez JD, Muñoz M. Intra-species diversity of Clostridium perfringens: A diverse genetic repertoire reveals its pathogenic potential. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:952081. [PMID: 35935202 PMCID: PMC9354469 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.952081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is the causative agent of many enterotoxic diseases in humans and animals, and it is present in diverse environments (soil, food, sewage, and water). Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) have provided a general approach about genetic diversity of C. perfringens; however, those studies are limited to specific locations and often include a reduced number of genomes. In this study, 372 C. perfringens genomes from multiple locations and sources were used to assess the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness of this pathogen. In silico MLST was used for typing the isolates, and the resulting sequence types (ST) were assigned to clonal complexes (CC) based on allelic profiles that differ from its founder by up to double-locus variants. A pangenome analysis was conducted, and a core genome-based phylogenetic tree was created to define phylogenetic groups. Additionally, key virulence factors, toxinotypes, and antibiotic resistance genes were identified using ABRicate against Virulence Factor Database (VFDB), TOXiper, and Resfinder, respectively. The majority of the C. perfringens genomes found in publicly available databases were derived from food (n = 85) and bird (n = 85) isolates. A total of 195 STs, some of them shared between sources such as food and human, horses and dogs, and environment and birds, were grouped in 25 CC and distributed along five phylogenetic groups. Fifty-three percent of the genomes were allocated to toxinotype A, followed by F (32%) and G (7%). The most frequently found virulence factors based on > 70% coverage and 99.95% identity were plc (100%), nanH (99%), ccp (99%), and colA (98%), which encode an alpha-toxin, a sialidase, an alpha-clostripain, and a collagenase, respectively, while tetA (39.5%) and tetB (36.2%), which mediate tetracycline resistance determinants, were the most common antibiotic resistance genes detected. The analyses conducted here showed a better view of the presence of this pathogen across several host species. They also confirm that the genetic diversity of C. perfringens is based on a large number of virulence factors that vary among phylogroups, and antibiotic resistance markers, especially to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and macrolides. Those characteristics highlight the importance of C. perfringens as a one of the most common causes of foodborne illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anny Camargo
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Boyacá, Tunja, Colombia
| | - Enzo Guerrero-Araya
- ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sergio Castañeda
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Laura Vega
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - María X. Cardenas-Alvarez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - César Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Anaerobia, Facultad de Microbiología, Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Daniel Paredes-Sabja
- ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Juan David Ramírez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Marina Muñoz
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- ANID, Millennium Science Initiative Program, Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago, Chile
- *Correspondence: Marina Muñoz,
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Clonal diversity of Clostridium perfringens human clinical isolates with various toxin gene profiles based on multilocus sequence typing and alpha-toxin (PLC) typing. Anaerobe 2021; 72:102473. [PMID: 34743038 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2021.102473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Clostridium perfringens is a common anaerobic pathogen causing enteritis/enterocolitis and wound infections in humans. We analyzed clonal diversity and toxin gene prevalence in C. perfringens clinical isolates from humans in northern Japan. METHODS Prevalence of nine toxin genes was analyzed for 585 C. perfringens isolates from patients collected for 20-month period between May 2019 and December 2020 by molecular methods. Sequence type (ST) based on multilocus sequence typing (Xiao's scheme) and alpha-toxin (PLC) sequence type were determined for a total of 124 isolates selected in the present study along with those in our previous study (2017-2018). RESULTS Toxinotypes A (68.2%) was the most frequent, followed by F (31.6%), and G (0.2%), while additional toxin genes encoding binary enterotoxin (BEC/CPILE) and beta2 toxin were identified in one and six isolates, respectively. Among the 124 isolates with various toxin gene profiles, 62 STs including 53 novel types were identified, revealing the presence of six clonal complexes (CCs) consisting of 27 STs. Most of enterotoxin gene (cpe)-positive isolates belonged to CC36, CC41, and CC117. Based on 22 key amino acids in alpha toxin sequence, four PLC types (I-IV) including 21 subtypes were classified, and their relation to individual STs/CCs was clarified. Two isolates harboring bec/cpile belonged to different STs (ST95, ST131) and PLC types (If, IVb), indicating distribution of this toxin gene to distinct lineages. CONCLUSIONS The present study revealed the diversity in C. perfringens clones of human origin with various toxin gene profiles represented by ST/CC and PLC type.
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