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Fourie JCJ, Van Wyk D, Bezuidenhout CC, Mienie C, Adeleke R. The effects of irrigation on the survival of Clostridium sporogenes in the phyllosphere and soil environments of lettuce. 3 Biotech 2024; 14:239. [PMID: 39310030 PMCID: PMC11415320 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-024-04069-5] [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: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to address the gap in knowledge regarding the fate of foodborne pathogens within agro-ecosystems. It specifically focused on the surrogate microorganism Clostridium sporogenes, which was introduced into lettuce-producing environments via surface and spray irrigation methods, respectively. The concentration of C. sporogenes in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and non-rhizosphere soil was quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) over a 42-day trial. The surface irrigation method exhibited a more noticeable contamination effect on the soil environments, compared to the phyllosphere. The results indicated a noticeable increase in C. sporogenes concentrations during the initial 22 days, with a 10.4-fold rise (0.39-4.05 log copy numbers/g soil) in the rhizosphere and 1.9-fold increase (2.97-5.59 log copy numbers/g soil) in the non-rhizosphere. However, concentrations in both soil environments subsequently decreased, falling below the initial inoculum concentration by the end of the trial. In contrast, the spray irrigation method resulted in most of the contamination being localised on the lettuce phyllosphere, with a high C. sporogenes concentration of 9.09 log copy numbers/g leaves on day 0. This concentration exponentially decreased to a minimal 0.019 log copy numbers/g leaves by day 32. Although concentrations in both soil environments decreased over time, trace concentrations of C. sporogenes were detectable at the end of the trial, posing a potential hazard to the microbiological safety of postharvest produce. These findings shed light on the dynamics of C. sporogenes in agro-ecosystems and underscore the importance of irrigation practices that ensure the safety of those who consume fresh produce. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-04069-5.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Deidre Van Wyk
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | | | - Charlotte Mienie
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Rasheed Adeleke
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Hussain H, Fadel A, Garcia E, Hernandez RJ, Saadoon ZF, Naseer L, Casmartino E, Hamad M, Schnepp T, Sarfraz R, Angly S, Jayakumar AR. Clostridial Myonecrosis: A Comprehensive Review of Toxin Pathophysiology and Management Strategies. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1464. [PMID: 39065232 PMCID: PMC11278868 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2024] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridial myonecrosis, commonly known as gas gangrene (GG), is a rapidly progressing and potentially fatal bacterial infection that primarily affects muscle and soft tissue. In the United States, the incidence of GG is roughly 1000 cases per year, while, in developing countries, the incidence is higher. This condition is most often caused by Clostridium perfringens, a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium widely distributed in the environment, although other Clostridium species have also been reported to cause GG. The CP genome contains over 200 transport-related genes, including ABC transporters, which facilitate the uptake of sugars, amino acids, nucleotides, and ions from the host environment. There are two main subtypes of GG: traumatic GG, resulting from injuries that introduce Clostridium spores into deep tissue, where anaerobic conditions allow for bacterial growth and toxin production, and spontaneous GG, which is rarer and often occurs in immunocompromised patients. Clostridium species produce various toxins (e.g., alpha, theta, beta) that induce specific downstream signaling changes in cellular pathways, causing apoptosis or severe, fatal immunological conditions. For example, the Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin (CPA) targets the host cell's plasma membrane, hydrolyzing sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine, which triggers necrosis and apoptosis. The clinical manifestations of clostridial myonecrosis vary. Some patients experience the sudden onset of severe pain, swelling, and muscle tenderness, with the infection progressing rapidly to widespread tissue necrosis, systemic toxicity, and, if untreated, death. Other patients present with discharge, pain, and features of cellulitis. The diagnosis of GG primarily involves clinical evaluation, imaging studies such as X-rays, computer tomography (CT) scans, and culture. The treatment of GG involves surgical exploration, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antitoxin, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is considered an adjunctive treatment to inhibit anaerobic bacterial growth and enhance the antibiotic efficacy. Early recognition and prompt, comprehensive treatment are critical to improving the outcomes for patients affected by this severe and life-threatening condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussain Hussain
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kendall Hospital-HCA Florida Healthcare, Miami, FL 33136, USA;
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Aya Fadel
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ocean University Medical Center—Hackensack Meridian Health, Brick, NJ 08724, USA;
| | - Efrain Garcia
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Robert J. Hernandez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kendall Hospital-HCA Florida Healthcare, Miami, FL 33136, USA;
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Zahraa F. Saadoon
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Lamia Naseer
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Ekaterina Casmartino
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Mohammad Hamad
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Taylor Schnepp
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Rehan Sarfraz
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Sohair Angly
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Larkin Community Hospital, Miami, FL 33143, USA; (E.G.); (Z.F.S.); (L.N.); (E.C.); (M.H.); (T.S.); (R.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Arumugam R. Jayakumar
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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Zhang Z, Wang X, Li S, Fu Y, Li Y, Nawaz S, Chen J, Yang G, Li J, Shi D. Isolation of a Virulent Clostridium perfringens Strain from Elaphurus davidianus and Characterization by Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:7169-7186. [PMID: 39057068 PMCID: PMC11276296 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46070427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is an important veterinary pathogen and a noteworthy threat to human and animal health. Recently, there has been a significant rise in the number of moose fatalities caused by this rare, endemic species in China. Currently, there is an increasing trend in conducting whole-genome analysis of C. perfringens strains originating from pigs and chickens, whereas fewer studies have been undertaken on Elaphurus davidianus-originating strains at the whole-genome level. Our laboratory has identified and isolated five C. perfringens type A from affected Elaphurus davidianus. The current study identified the most potent strain of C. perfringens, which originated from Elaphurus davidianus, and sequenced its genome to reveal virulence genes and pathogenicity. Our findings show that strain CX1-4 exhibits the highest levels of phospholipase activity, hemolytic activity, and mouse toxicity compared to the other four isolated C. perfringens type A strains. The chromosome sequence length of the CX1-4 strain was found to be 3,355,389 bp by complete genome sequencing. The current study unveils the genomic characteristics of C. perfringens type A originating from Elaphurus davidianus. It provides a core foundation for further investigation regarding the prevention and treatment of such infectious diseases in Elaphurus davidianus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Provincial Wildlife Rescue Center, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Siyuan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yuhang Fu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shah Nawaz
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Hubei Provincial Wildlife Rescue Center, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Guoxiang Yang
- Hubei Provincial Wildlife Rescue Center, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jiakui Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Daoliang Shi
- Hubei Provincial Wildlife Rescue Center, Wuhan 430070, China
- Department of Forestry Ecology, Hubei Ecology Polytechnic College, Wuhan 430070, China
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Kawamura T, Prah I, Mahazu S, Ablordey A, Saito R. Types A and F Clostridium perfringens in healthcare wastewater from Ghana. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0161923. [PMID: 38051072 PMCID: PMC10734495 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01619-23] [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: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Clostridium perfringens causes gas gangrene and food poisoning in humans, and monitoring this bacterium is important for public health. Although whole-genome sequencing is useful to comprehensively understand the virulence, resistome, and global genetic relatedness of bacteria, limited genomic data from environmental sources and developing countries hamper our understanding of the richness of the intrinsic genomic diversity of this pathogen. Here, we successfully accumulated the genetic data on C. perfringens strains isolated from hospital effluent and provided the first evidence that predicted pathogenic C. perfringens may be disseminated in the clinical environment in Ghana. Our findings suggest the importance of risk assessment in the environment as well as the clinical setting to mitigate the potential outbreak of C. perfringens food poisoning in Ghana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taira Kawamura
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Isaac Prah
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Samiratu Mahazu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Anthony Ablordey
- Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Ryoichi Saito
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
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Mähler B, Janssen K, Lönartz MI, Lagos M, Geisler T, Rust J, Bierbaum G. Time-dependent microbial shifts during crayfish decomposition in freshwater and sediment under different environmental conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1539. [PMID: 36707669 PMCID: PMC9883499 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28713-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fossilization processes and especially the role of bacterial activity during the preservation of organic material has not yet been well understood. Here, we report the results of controlled taphonomic experiments with crayfish in freshwater and sediment. 16S rRNA amplicon analyzes showed that the development of the bacterial community composition over time was correlated with different stages of decay and preservation. Three dominating genera, Aeromonas, Clostridium and Acetobacteroides were identified as the main drivers in the decomposition of crayfish in freshwater. Using micro-computed tomography (µ-CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS), calcite clusters were detected after 3-4 days inside crayfish carcasses during their decomposition in freshwater at 24 °C. The precipitation of calcite clusters during the decomposition process was increased in the presence of the bacterial genus Proteocatella. Consequently, Proteocatella might be one of the bacterial genera responsible for fossilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Mähler
- Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Janssen
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Mara Iris Lönartz
- Section Geochemistry, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-6): Nuclear Waste Management, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Markus Lagos
- Section Geochemistry, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thorsten Geisler
- Section Geochemistry, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
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Janssen K, Mähler B, Rust J, Bierbaum G, McCoy VE. The complex role of microbial metabolic activity in fossilization. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:449-465. [PMID: 34649299 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12806] [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: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria play an important role in the fossilization of soft tissues; their metabolic activities drive the destruction of the tissues and also strongly influence mineralization. Some environmental conditions, such as anoxia, cold temperatures, and high salinity, are considered widely to promote fossilization by modulating bacterial activity. However, bacteria are extremely diverse, and have developed metabolic adaptations to a wide range of stressful conditions. Therefore, the influence of the environment on bacterial activity, and of their metabolic activity on fossilization, is complex. A number of examples illustrate that simple, general assumptions about the role of bacteria in soft tissue fossilization cannot explain all preservational pathways: (i) experimental results show that soft tissues of cnidaria decay less in oxic than anoxic conditions, and in the fossil record are found more commonly in fossil sites deposited under oxic conditions rather than anoxic environments; (ii) siderite concretions, which often entomb soft tissue fossils, precipitate due to a complex mixture of sulfate- and iron reduction by some bacterial species, running counter to original theories that iron reduction is the primary driver of siderite concretion growth; (iii) arthropod brains, now widely accepted to be preserved in many Cambrian fossil sites, are one of the first structures to decay in taphonomic experiments, indicating that their fossilization processes are complex and influenced by bacterial activity. In order to expand our understanding of the complex process of bacterially driven soft tissue fossilization, more research needs to be done, on fossils themselves and in taphonomic experiments, to determine how the complex variation in microbial metabolic activity influences decay and mineralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Janssen
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bastian Mähler
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Victoria E McCoy
- Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, U.S.A
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