A Naturally Occurring Deletion in FliE from Salmonella enterica Serovar Dublin Results in an Aflagellate Phenotype and Defective Proinflammatory Properties

Genetic Analysis of the Salmonella FliE Protein That Forms the Base of the Flagellar Axial Structure

The FliE component of the bacterial flagellum is the first protein secreted through the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) that is capable of self-assembly into the growing bacterial organelle. The FliE protein plays dual roles in the assembly of the Salmonella flagellum as the final component of the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) and as an adaptor protein that anchors the rod (drive shaft) of the flagellar motor to the membrane-imbedded MS-ring structure. This work has identified the interactions between FliE and other proteins at the inner membrane base of the flagellar machine. The fliE sequence coding for the 104-amino-acid protein was subject to saturating mutagenesis. Single-amino-acid substitutions were generated in fliE, resulting in motility phenotypes. From these mutants, intergenic suppressor mutations were generated, isolated, and characterized. Single-amino-acid mutations defective in FliE function were localized to the N- and C-terminal helices of the protein. Motile suppressors of amino acid mutations in fliE were found in rod protein genes flgB and flgC, the MS ring gene, fliF, and one of the core T3SS genes, fliR. These results support the hypothesis that FliE acts as a linker protein consisting of an N-terminal α-helix that is involved in the interaction with the MS ring with a rotational symmetry and a C-terminal coiled coil that interacts with FliF, FliR, FlgB, and FlgC, and these interactions open the exit gate of the protein export channel of the fT3SS.

Salmonella enterica Serovars Dublin and Enteritidis Comparative Proteomics Reveals Differential Expression of Proteins Involved in Stress Resistance, Virulence, and Anaerobic Metabolism

The Enteritidis and Dublin serovars of Salmonella enterica are phylogenetically closely related yet differ significantly in host range and virulence. S Enteritidis is a broad-host-range serovar that commonly causes self-limited gastroenteritis in humans, whereas S Dublin is a cattle-adapted serovar that can infect humans, often resulting in invasive extraintestinal disease. The mechanism underlying the higher invasiveness of S Dublin remains undetermined. In this work, we quantitatively compared the proteomes of clinical isolates of each serovar grown under gut-mimicking conditions. Compared to S Enteritidis, the S Dublin proteome was enriched in proteins linked to response to several stress conditions, such as those encountered during host infection, as well as to virulence. The S Enteritidis proteome contained several proteins related to central anaerobic metabolism pathways that were undetected in S Dublin. In contrast to what has been observed in other extraintestinal serovars, most of the coding genes for these pathways are not degraded in S Dublin. Thus, we provide evidence that S Dublin metabolic functions may be much more affected than previously reported based on genomic studies. Single and double null mutants in stress response proteins Dps, YciF, and YgaU demonstrate their relevance to S Dublin invasiveness in a murine model of invasive salmonellosis. All in all, this work provides a basis for understanding interserovar differences in invasiveness and niche adaptation, underscoring the relevance of using proteomic approaches to complement genomic studies.

Characterization of Salmonella Dublin isolated from bovine and human hosts

BACKGROUND

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Dublin (S. Dublin), a cattle adapted serovar causes enteritis, and systemic disease in bovines. The invasive index of this serovar far exceeds that of the other serovars and human infections often present as fatal or highly resistant infections. In this, observational study, phenotypic properties of human and bovine-derived isolates of S. Dublin along with antibiogram of common antimicrobials were evaluated. The multiplex PCR confirmed isolates were genotyped using 7-gene legacy MLST. MIC assay was done by broth microdilution method. Previously published protocols were used to assess the motility, biofilm formation and morphotype. Vi antigen was agglutinated using commercial antiserum. Caenorhabditis elegans infection model was used to evaluate the virulence potiential. Phenotyping experiments were done in duplicates while virulence assay was done in triplicates. Whole-genome sequencing was used to predict the genes responsible for acquired resistance and a genotype-phenotype comparison was made.

RESULTS

We evaluated 96 bovine and 10 human isolates in this study. All the isolates belonged to ST10 in eBG53 and were negative for Vi-antigen. The swarming motility, biofilm formation and morphotype were variable in the isolates of both groups. Resistance to sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline was > 90% in animal isolates whereas resistance to sulfamethoxazole was > 70% in human isolates. MDR was also higher in animal isolates. Human isolates were significantly (P < 0.0001) more virulent than animal isolates on C. elegans infection model. The genomic comparison based on the core SNPs showed a high degree of homogeneity between the isolates. The carriage of IncA/C2 plasmid was seen as a typical feature of isolates from the bovine hosts.

CONCLUSION

Human isolates showed more diversity in the phenotypic assays. Animal isolates showed a higher degree of antimicrobial resistance with greater MDR but human isolates formed more biofilm and had greater swarming motility as well as increased virulence to the nematode C. elegans. The carriage of IncA/C2 plasmid could contribute to the distinguishing feature of the bovine isolates. The tandem use of genotypic-phenotypic assays improves the understanding of diversity and differential behaviour of the same serovar from unrelated host sources.

Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella enterica isolated from dairy calves in Uruguay

Salmonella enterica is an important animal and human pathogen that can cause enteritis and septicaemia in calves. Generally, antibiotics are prescribed for the treatment of salmonellosis in dairy calves. Here, we report the isolation of antibiotic resistant S. enterica serotypes from calves, including multidrug-resistant isolates. A total of 544 faecal samples from live healthy and diarrheic dairy calves from 29 commercial dairy farms and organ samples from 19 deceased calves that succumbed to salmonellosis in 12 commercial dairy farms in Uruguay were processed for selective S. enterica culture. In total, 41 isolates were serotyped, and susceptibility to 14 antibiotics, from 9 classes of compounds, was evaluated by disk-diffusion test. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by microdilution. Salmonella Typhimurium was the most frequent serotype, followed by S. Dublin and S. Anatum. Whether determined by diffusion assay or microdilution, resistance to tetracycline, streptomycin and ampicillin were the most frequently pattern found. Based on MIC, 5 isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, 21 were resistant to 2 antibiotics, and 14 were multidrug-resistant (resistant to at least one antibiotic in 3 different categories of antibiotics). Eleven different resistance patterns were found. Multidrug resistance in S. enterica is a concern for animal and public health not only because of its zoonotic potential but also due to the possibility of transfer resistance determinants to other bacterial genera. This represents the first report of the antibiotic resistance in S. enterica in dairy farms in Uruguay.