orf20 in prophage phiv142-3 contributes to the adhesion and colonization ability of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strain DE142 by affecting the formation of flagella and I fimbriae

Comparative genomics analysis of Streptococcus iniae isolated from Trachinotus ovatus: novel insight into antimicrobial resistance and virulence differentiation

BACKGROUND

Streptococcus iniae is an important fish pathogen that cause significant economic losses to the global aquaculture industry every year. Although there have some reports on the genotype of S.iniae and its relationship with virulence, no genome-scale comparative analysis has been performed so far. In our previous work, we characterized 17 isolates of S.iniae from Trachinotus ovatus and divided them into two genotypes using RAPD and rep-PCR methods. Among them, BH15-2 was classified as designated genotype A (in RAPD) and genotype 1 (in rep-PCR), while BH16-24 was classified as genotype B and genotype 2. Herein, we compared the differences in growth, drug resistance, virulence, and genome between BH15-2 and BH16-24.

RESULTS

The results showed that the growth ability of BH16-24 was significantly faster than that of BH15-2 at the exponential stage. Antimicrobial tests revealed that BH15-2 was susceptible to most of the tested antibiotics except neomycin and gentamycin. In contrast, BH16-24 was resistant to 7 antibiotics including penicillin, sulfasomizole, compound sulfamethoxazole tablets, polymyxin B, spectinomycin, rifampin and ceftazidime. Intraperitoneal challenge of T.ovatus, showed that the LD50 value of BH15-2 was 4.0 × 102 CFU/g, while that of BH16-24 was 1.2 × 105 CFU/g. The genome of S.iniae BH15-2 was 2,175,659 bp with a GC content of 36.80%. Meanwhile, the genome of BH16-24 was 2,153,918 bp with a GC content of 36.83%. Comparative genome analysis indicated that compared with BH15-2, BH16-24 genome had a large-scale genomic inversion fragment, at the location from 502,513 bp to 1,788,813 bp, resulting in many of virulence and resistance genes differentially expression. In addition, there was a 46 kb length, intact phage sequence in BH15-2 genome, which was absent in BH16-24.

CONCLUSION

Comparative genomic studies of BH15-2 and BH16-24 showed that the main difference is a 1.28 Mbp inversion fragment. The inversion fragment may lead to abnormal expression of drug resistant and virulence genes, which is believed to be the main reason for the multiple resistance and weakened virulence of BH16-24. Our study revealed the potential mechanisms in underlying the differences of multidrug resistance and virulence among different genotypes of S.iniae.

Synergism Between Multi-Pseudomonas and Cutinase for Biodegradation of Crude Oil-Based Derivatives

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as one of the main crude oil-based derivatives, produces a significant amount of waste that is difficult to degrade. Currently, microbial degradation of PET is an eco-friendly, efficient, and economical method. This study was conducted to propose a novel screening strategy for PET-degrading bacteria, and evaluate their degradation efficiency of PET. Two strains, Pseudomonas nitroreducens S8 and Pseudomonas monteilii S17, were isolated and could utilize PET as a carbon source by co-culture. The combined use of both bacteria gave a synergistic effect on the disruption of the PET surface through colonization behavior, which could enhance the subsequent degradation of PET. Its time of reaching a peak value of PET degradation rate (94.5% at 6 d) was 2 days earlier than these of single bacteria. A similar synergistic effect was also observed in the metabolization of PET monomers, and the metabolic rate was expressed as 82.4% of bis (2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), 64.0% of mono (2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), and 20.0% of terephthalic acid (TPA), respectively. This study is novel in showing the degradation of PET waste by combinations of bacterial pretreatment and enzymatic treatment, which can be a promising method.

Accelerated biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate by Thermobifida fusca cutinase mediated by Stenotrophomonas pavanii

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a general plastic that produces a significant amount of waste due to its non-biodagradable properties. We obtained four bacteria (Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1, Comamonas thiooxydans CG-1, Comamonas koreensis CG-2 and Fulvimonas soli GM-1) that utilize PET as a sole carbon source through a novel stepwise screening and verification strategy. PET films pretreated with S. pavanii JWG-G1 exhibited weight loss of 91.4% following subsequent degradation by Thermobifida fusca cutinase (TfC). S. pavanii JWG-G1 was able to colonize the PET surface and maintain high cell viability (over 50%) in biofilm, accelerating PET degradation. Compared with PET films with no pretreatment, pretreatment with S. pavanii JWG-G1 caused the PET surface to be significantly rougher with greater hydrophilicity (contact angle of 86.3 ± 2° vs. 96.6 ± 2°), providing better opportunities for TfC to contact and act on PET. Our study indicates that S. pavanii JWG-G1 could be used as a novel pretreatment for efficiently accelerating PET biodegradation by TfC.

Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC): An Overview of Virulence and Pathogenesis Factors, Zoonotic Potential, and Control Strategies

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes colibacillosis in avian species, and recent reports have suggested APEC as a potential foodborne zoonotic pathogen. Herein, we discuss the virulence and pathogenesis factors of APEC, review the zoonotic potential, provide the current status of antibiotic resistance and progress in vaccine development, and summarize the alternative control measures being investigated. In addition to the known virulence factors, several other factors including quorum sensing system, secretion systems, two-component systems, transcriptional regulators, and genes associated with metabolism also contribute to APEC pathogenesis. The clear understanding of these factors will help in developing new effective treatments. The APEC isolates (particularly belonging to ST95 and ST131 or O1, O2, and O18) have genetic similarities and commonalities in virulence genes with human uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC) and abilities to cause urinary tract infections and meningitis in humans. Therefore, the zoonotic potential of APEC cannot be undervalued. APEC resistance to almost all classes of antibiotics, including carbapenems, has been already reported. There is a need for an effective APEC vaccine that can provide protection against diverse APEC serotypes. Alternative therapies, especially the virulence inhibitors, can provide a novel solution with less likelihood of developing resistance.

Prophage phiv205-1 facilitates biofilm formation and pathogenicity of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strain DE205B

Avian colibacillosis caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide and is also a leading potential threat to human health. Bacteriophages integrate into the host bacterial chromosome, and are an important source of genetic variation and have a major impact on bacterial evolution. Previously, we predicted prophage phiv205-1 in APEC strain DE205B. Here, to determine the function of prophage phiv205-1, we constructed the prophage deletion mutant DE205BΔphiv205-1. Compared with the wild-type (WT) APEC strain DE205B, the adherence and invasive abilities of DE205BΔphiv205-1 were reduced by 41.88 %(P < 0.05). Further, the mutant strain had 52.38 % reduced biofilm formation compared with the WT strain (P < 0.001). Chick challenge showed that the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the mutant strain and WT strain was 3.13 × 10⁵ colony-forming units (CFU) and 3.86 × 10⁴ CFU, respectively, indicating that the mutant strain had decreased virulence compared with the WT strain. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that, compared with the WT strain, DE205BΔphiv205-1 bacterial loads were reduced by 1.6-fold (P < 0.05) and 4.8-fold (P < 0.001) in the lungs and brains, respectively, of the infected chicks. In conclusion, the prophage phiv205-1 contributes to the virulence of APEC strain DE205B by facilitating the adherence, biofilm formation, and colonization abilities of its host strain.