Relevance in pathogenesis research

Evaluation of the Immunoprotective Capacity of Five Vaccine Candidate Proteins against Avian Necrotic Enteritis and Impact on the Caecal Microbiota of Vaccinated Birds

Avian necrotic enteritis is an enteric disease of broiler chickens caused by certain pathogenic strains of Clostridium perfringens in combination with predisposing factors. A vaccine offering complete protection against the disease has not yet been commercialized. In a previous study, we produced five recombinant proteins predicted to be surface-exposed and unique to necrotic enteritis-causing C. perfringens and the immunogenicity of these potential vaccine candidates was assessed in broiler chickens. In the current work, the relative contribution of the antibodies raised by these putative antigens to protect broiler chickens was evaluated using an experimental necrotic enteritis induction model. Additionally, the link between the immune response elicited and the gut microbiota profiles in immunized birds subjected to infection with virulent C. perfringens was studied. The ELISA results showed that the IgY antibody titers in vaccinated birds on days 21 and 33 were significantly higher than those on days 7 and 14 and those in birds receiving the adjuvant alone, while the relative contribution of the specific immunity attributed to these antibodies could not be precisely determined using this experimental necrotic enteritis induction model. In addition, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that immunization of birds with recombinant proteins had a low impact on the chicken caecal microbiota.

Socially engaged calves are more likely to be colonised by VTEC O157:H7 than individuals showing signs of poor welfare

In cattle herds, the transmission and persistence of VTEC O157:H7 (a serotype of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli – known for its life threatening complications in humans) is dependent on a small proportion of cattle who become colonised and shed high numbers of the bacteria. Reducing the proportion of these animals is considered key for decreasing the prevalence of VTEC O157:H7. In this study, observations of calf behaviour and animal-based welfare indicators were used to explore individual risk factors and underlying drivers of colonisation in Swedish dairy calves. Interdependencies between variables led to three different approaches being used to visualize and explore the associations. Combining the results of all methods revealed similar patterns and suggest that healthy animals, actively grooming and interacting with others calves in the group have a higher risk of colonisation than small dairy calves in poor condition (diarrhoea, poor ruminal fill, poor body condition score and nasal discharge). This lends no support to the hypothesis that reduced welfare is a risk factor for VTEC O157:H7, but implies that individual differences in calf behaviour affect oral exposure to the bacteria so driving the risk of colonisation. This new finding has important implications for understanding of VTEC O157:H7 transmission within farms.

Modulation of the enterohemorrhagic E. coli virulence program through the human gastrointestinal tract

Enteric pathogens must not only survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract but must also coordinate expression of virulence determinants in response to localized microenvironments with the host. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a serious food and waterborne human pathogen, is well equipped with an arsenal of molecular factors that allows it to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract and successfully colonize the large intestine. This review will explore how EHEC responds to various environmental cues associated with particular microenvironments within the host and how it employs these cues to modulate virulence factor expression, with a view to developing a conceptual framework for understanding modulation of EHEC’s virulence program in response to the host. In vitro studies offer significant insights into the role of individual environmental cues but in vivo studies using animal models as well as data from natural infections will ultimately provide a more comprehensive picture of the highly regulated virulence program of this pathogen.

Towards a pathogenic Escherichia coli detection platform using multiplex SYBR®Green Real-time PCR methods and high resolution melting analysis

Escherichia coli is a group of bacteria which has raised a lot of safety concerns in recent years. Five major intestinal pathogenic groups have been recognized amongst which the verocytotoxin or shiga-toxin (stx1 and/or stx2) producing E. coli (VTEC or STEC respectively) have received a lot of attention recently. Indeed, due to the high number of outbreaks related to VTEC strains, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has requested the monitoring of the “top-five” serogroups (O26, O103, O111, O145 and O157) most often encountered in food borne diseases and addressed the need for validated VTEC detection methods. Here we report the development of a set of intercalating dye Real-time PCR methods capable of rapidly detecting the presence of the toxin genes together with intimin (eae) in the case of VTEC, or aggregative protein (aggR), in the case of the O104:H4 strain responsible for the outbreak in Germany in 2011. All reactions were optimized to perform at the same annealing temperature permitting the multiplex application in order to minimize the need of material and to allow for high-throughput analysis. In addition, High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis allowing the discrimination among strains possessing similar virulence traits was established. The development, application to food samples and the flexibility in use of the methods are thoroughly discussed. Together, these Real-time PCR methods facilitate the detection of VTEC in a new highly efficient way and could represent the basis for developing a simple pathogenic E. coli platform.