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Thomas A, Slifka AM, Hendrickson SM, Amanna IJ, Slifka MK. Active Circulation of Corynebacterium ulcerans among Nonhuman Primates. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0089422. [PMID: 35863003 PMCID: PMC9431270 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00894-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Diphtheria is rare in the United States. and many industrialized nations due to development of an effective vaccine, coupled with high vaccination coverage. Although there is continued risk of importation and transmission of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. ulcerans has now become the dominant source of diphtheria cases among several European countries. Bearing this in mind, a better understanding of C. ulcerans biology is clearly needed. Here, we identified active transmission of toxigenic C. ulcerans among indoor- and outdoor-housed rhesus macaques based on diphtheria toxin-specific serology assays as well as direct isolation of C. ulcerans from a recently infected animal. In addition to animal-to-animal transmission, we found serological evidence indicative of potential human transmission. Together, these results provide new details on natural Corynebacterium transmission among nonhuman primates and emphasizes the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage to reduce the risk of potential zoonotic infection. IMPORTANCE C. ulcerans represents an emerging zoonotic agent of diphtheria, but little is known about its transmission or maintenance among animal reservoirs. In these studies, we identified diphtheria outbreaks among both outdoor- and indoor-housed rhesus macaques and isolated a toxigenic strain of C. ulcerans from a recently infected animal. Retrospective analysis indicated that toxigenic Corynebacteria have been circulating among these primates for decades with the potential for rare zoonotic transmission to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Thomas
- Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mark K. Slifka
- Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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Schlez K, Eisenberg T, Rau J, Dubielzig S, Kornmayer M, Wolf G, Berger A, Dangel A, Hoffmann C, Ewers C, Sing A. Corynebacterium rouxii, a recently described member of the C. diphtheriae group isolated from three dogs with ulcerative skin lesions. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2021; 114:1361-1371. [PMID: 34170418 PMCID: PMC8379122 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-021-01605-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Corynebacterium (C.) diphtheriae is one of the two etiological pathogens for human diphtheria with significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, members of its biovar Belfanti have been described as two novel species, C. belfantii and C. rouxii. The most important virulence factor and also the premise to cause diphtheria is the isolate’s capacity to encode and express the diphtheria toxin (DT). In contrast to C. ulcerans, which represents a potentially zoonotic pathogen, C. diphtheriae (incl. the novel deduced species) has almost exclusively been found to comprise a human pathogen. We here report three rare cases of C. rouxii isolation from dogs suffering from disseminated poly-bacterial exsudative to purulent dermatitis and a traumatic labial defect, respectively. The isolates were identified as C. diphtheriae based on commercial biochemistry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. However, recently described specific spectral peaks were highly similar to spectra of C. rouxii, which was confirmed by whole genome sequencing. Further investigations of the dog isolates for the presence of DT by tox gene qPCR revealed negative results. The findings from this study point out that skin infections in companion animals can be colonized by uncommon and so believed human specific pathogens, thereby resembling the clinical signs of cutaneous diphtheria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Schlez
- Hessian State Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Tobias Eisenberg
- Hessian State Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 87-89, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Jörg Rau
- Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany
| | - Sabine Dubielzig
- Veterinary Practice for Pets, Wehrenpfad 3, 34560, Fritzlar, Germany
| | - Matthias Kornmayer
- Department for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Clinic for Small Animal Surgery and Reproduction, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Veterinärstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany
| | - Georg Wolf
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Veterinärstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Berger
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Alexandra Dangel
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Hoffmann
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 87-89, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 87-89, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andreas Sing
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstr. 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
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3
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Detection and Characterization of Diphtheria Toxin Gene-Bearing Corynebacterium Species through a New Real-Time PCR Assay. J Clin Microbiol 2020; 58:JCM.00639-20. [PMID: 32727830 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00639-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory diphtheria, characterized by a firmly adherent pseudomembrane, is caused by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, with similar illness produced occasionally by toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans or, rarely, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis While diphtheria laboratory confirmation requires culture methods to determine toxigenicity, real-time PCR (RT-PCR) provides a faster method to detect the toxin gene (tox). Nontoxigenic tox-bearing (NTTB) Corynebacterium isolates have been described, but impact of these isolates on the accuracy of molecular diagnostics is not well characterized. Here, we describe a new triplex RT-PCR assay to detect tox and distinguish C. diphtheriae from the closely related species C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis Analytical sensitivity and specificity of the assay were assessed in comparison to culture using 690 previously characterized microbial isolates. The new triplex assay characterized Corynebacterium isolates accurately, with 100% analytical sensitivity for all targets. Analytical specificity with isolates was 94.1%, 100%, and 99.5% for tox, Diph_rpoB, and CUP_rpoB targets, respectively. Twenty-nine NTTB Corynebacterium isolates, representing 5.9% of 494 nontoxigenic isolates tested, were detected by RT-PCR. Whole-genome sequencing of NTTB isolates revealed varied mutations putatively underlying their lack of toxin production, as well as eight isolates with no mutation in tox or the promoter region. This new Corynebacterium RT-PCR method provides a rapid tool to screen isolates and identify probable diphtheria cases directly from specimens. However, the sporadic occurrence of NTTB isolates reinforces the viewpoint that diphtheria culture diagnostics continue to provide the most accurate case confirmation.
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Berger A, Dangel A, Peters M, Mühldorfer K, Braune S, Eisenberg T, Szentiks CA, Rau J, Konrad R, Hörmansdorfer S, Ackermann N, Sing A. Tox-positive Corynebacterium ulcerans in hedgehogs, Germany . Emerg Microbes Infect 2019; 8:211-217. [PMID: 30866774 PMCID: PMC6455118 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2018.1562312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans may cause both respiratory and cutaneous diphtheria in humans. As a zoonotic emerging pathogen it has been isolated from a wide variety of animals living in captivity, such as livestock, pet, zoo and research animals and additionally in a large number of different wild animals. Here we report the isolation of tox-positive C. ulcerans in four hedgehogs with cutaneous diphtheria and pneumonia, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Berger
- a National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Oberschleißheim , Germany.,b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Alexandra Dangel
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Martin Peters
- c Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Westfalen , Arnsberg , Germany
| | | | - Silke Braune
- e Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety , Food and Veterinary Institute , Hannover , Germany
| | | | | | - Jörg Rau
- g Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart , Fellbach , Germany
| | - Regina Konrad
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Stefan Hörmansdorfer
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Nikolaus Ackermann
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Andreas Sing
- a National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Oberschleißheim , Germany.,b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
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5
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Guerriero KA, Wilson SR, Sinusas AJ, Saperstein L, Zeiss AJ. Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography Using 99mTc-labeled Leukocytes for Evaluating Infection Associated with a Cranial Implant in a Rhesus Macaque ( Macaca mulatta). Comp Med 2019; 69:249-256. [PMID: 30935441 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-cm-18-000123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
An adult male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) that was enrolled in a study evaluating cognition and memory presented with suppurative exudate along the margins of a long-standing cranial implant that included a stainless-steel head post, plastic left-sided recording cylinder, and acrylic over a previously placed right-sided recording cylinder. Both cylinders were located at the level of the prefrontal cortex. After treatment comprising systemic antibiotics and daily cleaning with povidone-iodine for several months, the macaque underwent single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) in which his neutrophils were labeled with 99mTc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime ( 99m Tc-HMPAO) to evalu- ate for active infection below the implant. Soft tissue inflammation and osteomyelitis were found at the site of the previous right-sided recording cylinder. Cephalosporin and tetracycline antibiotics were administered for 12 wk. Follow-up SPECT-CT imaging was then performed to evaluate response to medical treatment. Results indicated no change in the degrees of soft tissue inflammation and osteomyelitis associated with the right-sided recording cylinder site. SPECT-CT imaging was used to guide the surgical removal of the implant and debridement of the infected tissue. On removal of the entire cranial implant, the osteomyelitis and soft tissue inflammation observed on the pre- and posttreatment SPECT-CT scans were confirmed. In addition, a large cavitary defect through the calvarium with suppurative exudate was discovered below the base of the head post. Infection in this defect was not apparent on SPECT; however, the bony defect was confirmed on reevaluation of the CT images. We concluded that the infection in this defect was silent on SPECT due to the limited vascularization of the sur-rounding bone and the chronicity of the infection. This case study is the first to describe the use of SPECT-CT for evaluating soft tissue inflammation and osteomyelitis beneath a cranial implant in a NHP.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Albert J Sinusas
- Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Yale Translational Research Imaging Center, Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Lawrence Saperstein
- Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Johnston JM, Cohen YE, Shirley H, Tsunada J, Bennur S, Christison-Lagay K, Veeder CL. Recent refinements to cranial implants for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Lab Anim (NY) 2017; 45:180-6. [PMID: 27096188 DOI: 10.1038/laban.997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The advent of cranial implants revolutionized primate neurophysiological research because they allow researchers to stably record neural activity from monkeys during active behavior. Cranial implants have improved over the years since their introduction, but chronic implants still increase the risk for medical complications including bacterial contamination and resultant infection, chronic inflammation, bone and tissue loss and complications related to the use of dental acrylic. These complications can lead to implant failure and early termination of study protocols. In an effort to reduce complications, we describe several refinements that have helped us improve cranial implants and the wellbeing of implanted primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Johnston
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.,University Laboratory Animal Resources, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Yale E Cohen
- Departments of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Harry Shirley
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Joji Tsunada
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Sharath Bennur
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Christin L Veeder
- University Laboratory Animal Resources, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Woods SE, Lieberman MT, Lebreton F, Trowel E, de la Fuente-Núñez C, Dzink-Fox J, Gilmore MS, Fox JG. Characterization of Multi-Drug Resistant Enterococcus faecalis Isolated from Cephalic Recording Chambers in Research Macaques (Macaca spp.). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0169293. [PMID: 28081148 PMCID: PMC5231353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman primates are commonly used for cognitive neuroscience research and often surgically implanted with cephalic recording chambers for electrophysiological recording. Aerobic bacterial cultures from 25 macaques identified 72 bacterial isolates, including 15 Enterococcus faecalis isolates. The E. faecalis isolates displayed multi-drug resistant phenotypes, with resistance to ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, bacitracin, and erythromycin, as well as high-level aminoglycoside resistance. Multi-locus sequence typing showed that most belonged to two E. faecalis sequence types (ST): ST 4 and ST 55. The genomes of three representative isolates were sequenced to identify genes encoding antimicrobial resistances and other traits. Antimicrobial resistance genes identified included aac(6’)-aph(2”), aph(3’)-III, str, ant(6)-Ia, tetM, tetS, tetL, ermB, bcrABR, cat, and dfrG, and polymorphisms in parC (S80I) and gyrA (S83I) were observed. These isolates also harbored virulence factors including the cytolysin toxin genes in ST 4 isolates, as well as multiple biofilm-associated genes (esp, agg, ace, SrtA, gelE, ebpABC), hyaluronidases (hylA, hylB), and other survival genes (ElrA, tpx). Crystal violet biofilm assays confirmed that ST 4 isolates produced more biofilm than ST 55 isolates. The abundance of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes in the ST 4 isolates likely relates to the loss of CRISPR-cas. This macaque colony represents a unique model for studying E. faecalis infection associated with indwelling devices, and provides an opportunity to understand the basis of persistence of this pathogen in a healthcare setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie E. Woods
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mia T. Lieberman
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Francois Lebreton
- Departments of Ophthalmology, and Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Elise Trowel
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - César de la Fuente-Núñez
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Synthetic Biology Group, MIT Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Massachusetts, United States of America
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard Biophysics Program, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joanne Dzink-Fox
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michael S. Gilmore
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James G. Fox
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Hacker E, Antunes CA, Mattos-Guaraldi AL, Burkovski A, Tauch A. Corynebacterium ulcerans, an emerging human pathogen. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:1191-208. [PMID: 27545005 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
While formerly known infections of Corynebacterium ulcerans are rare and mainly associated with contact to infected cattle, C. ulcerans has become an emerging pathogen today. In Western Europe, cases of respiratory diphtheria caused by C. ulcerans have been reported more often than infections by Corynebacterium diphtheria, while systemic infections are also increasingly reported. Little is known about factors that contribute to host colonization and virulence of this zoonotic pathogen. Research in this field has received new impetus by the publication of several C. ulcerans genome sequences in the past years. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the basic knowledge of C. ulcerans, as well as the recent advances made in the analysis of putative virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Hacker
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Camila A Antunes
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Laboratory of Diphtheria and Clinically Important Corynebacteria (LDCIC), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana L Mattos-Guaraldi
- Laboratory of Diphtheria and Clinically Important Corynebacteria (LDCIC), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Tauch
- Centrum für Biotechnologie, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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Sing A, Konrad R, Meinel DM, Mauder N, Schwabe I, Sting R. Corynebacterium diphtheriae in a free-roaming red fox: case report and historical review on diphtheria in animals. Infection 2015; 44:441-5. [PMID: 26424684 DOI: 10.1007/s15010-015-0846-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the classical causative agent of diphtheria, is considered to be nearly restricted to humans. Here we report the first finding of a non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae biovar belfanti strain in a free-roaming wild animal. METHODS The strain obtained from the subcutis and mammary gland of a dead red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was characterized by biochemical and molecular methods including MALDI-TOF and Multi Locus Sequence Typing. Since C. diphtheriae infections of animals, usually with close contact to humans, are reported only very rarely, an intense review comprising also scientific literature from the beginning of the 20th century was performed. RESULTS Besides the present case, only 11 previously reported C. diphtheriae animal infections could be verified using current scientific criteria. CONCLUSIONS Our report is the first on the isolation of C. diphtheriae from a wildlife animal without any previous human contact. In contrast, the very few unambiguous publications on C. diphtheriae in animals referred to livestock or pet animals with close human contact. C. diphtheriae carriage in animals has to be considered as an exceptionally rare event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Sing
- National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany. .,Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Regina Konrad
- National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Dominik M Meinel
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Norman Mauder
- Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany
| | - Ingo Schwabe
- Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany
| | - Reinhard Sting
- Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany
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Eisenberg T, Mauder N, Contzen M, Rau J, Ewers C, Schlez K, Althoff G, Schauerte N, Geiger C, Margos G, Konrad R, Sing A. Outbreak with clonally related isolates of Corynebacterium ulcerans in a group of water rats. BMC Microbiol 2015; 15:42. [PMID: 25887321 PMCID: PMC4342102 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-015-0384-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The zoonotic bacterium Corynebacterium ulcerans may be pathogenic both in humans and animals: toxigenic strains can cause diphtheria or diphtheria-like disease in humans via diphtheria toxin, while strains producing the dermonecrotic exotoxin phospholipase D may lead to caseous lymphadenitis primarily in wild animals. Diphtheria toxin-positive Corynebacterium ulcerans strains have been isolated mainly from cattle, dogs and cats. Results Here, we report a series of ten isolations of Corynebacterium ulcerans from a group of water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster) with ulcerative skin lesions, which were kept in a zoo. The isolates were clearly assigned to species level by biochemical identification systems, Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and partial rpoB sequencing, respectively. All ten isolates turned out to represent the same sequence type, strongly indicating a cluster of infections by clonally-related isolates as could be demonstrated for the first time for this species using multilocus sequence typing. Unequivocal demonstration of high relatedness of the isolates could also be demonstrated by Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy. All isolates were lacking the diphtheria toxin encoding tox-gene, but were phospholipase D-positive. Conclusions Our results indicate that water rats represent a suitable new host species that is prone to infection and must be regarded as a reservoir for potentially zoonotic Corynebacterium ulcerans. Furthermore, the applied methods demonstrated persistent infection as well as a very close relationship between all ten isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Eisenberg
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Norman Mauder
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Matthias Contzen
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Jörg Rau
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 85-89, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Karen Schlez
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Gisa Althoff
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Nicole Schauerte
- Zoo Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Christina Geiger
- Zoo Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Gabriele Margos
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Regina Konrad
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Andreas Sing
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
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11
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Marini RP, Cassiday PK, Venezia J, Shen Z, Buckley EM, Peters Y, Taylor N, Dewhirst FE, Tondella ML, Fox JG. Corynebacterium ulcerans in ferrets. Emerg Infect Dis 2014; 20:159-61. [PMID: 24377676 PMCID: PMC3884721 DOI: 10.3201/eid2001.130675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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