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Pena MM, Bhandari R, Bowers RM, Weis K, Newberry E, Wagner N, Pupko T, Jones JB, Woyke T, Vinatzer BA, Jacques MA, Potnis N. Genetic and Functional Diversity Help Explain Pathogenic, Weakly Pathogenic, and Commensal Lifestyles in the Genus Xanthomonas. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae074. [PMID: 38648506 PMCID: PMC11032200 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The genus Xanthomonas has been primarily studied for pathogenic interactions with plants. However, besides host and tissue-specific pathogenic strains, this genus also comprises nonpathogenic strains isolated from a broad range of hosts, sometimes in association with pathogenic strains, and other environments, including rainwater. Based on their incapacity or limited capacity to cause symptoms on the host of isolation, nonpathogenic xanthomonads can be further characterized as commensal and weakly pathogenic. This study aimed to understand the diversity and evolution of nonpathogenic xanthomonads compared to their pathogenic counterparts based on their cooccurrence and phylogenetic relationship and to identify genomic traits that form the basis of a life history framework that groups xanthomonads by ecological strategies. We sequenced genomes of 83 strains spanning the genus phylogeny and identified eight novel species, indicating unexplored diversity. While some nonpathogenic species have experienced a recent loss of a type III secretion system, specifically the hrp2 cluster, we observed an apparent lack of association of the hrp2 cluster with lifestyles of diverse species. We performed association analysis on a large data set of 337 Xanthomonas strains to explain how xanthomonads may have established association with the plants across the continuum of lifestyles from commensals to weak pathogens to pathogens. Presence of distinct transcriptional regulators, distinct nutrient utilization and assimilation genes, transcriptional regulators, and chemotaxis genes may explain lifestyle-specific adaptations of xanthomonads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Pena
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Present address: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, USA
| | - Rishi Bhandari
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Robert M Bowers
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kylie Weis
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Eric Newberry
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Naama Wagner
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tal Pupko
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jeffrey B Jones
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Boris A Vinatzer
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Marie-Agnès Jacques
- Institut Agro, INRAE, IRHS, SFR QUASAV, University of Angers, Angers F-49000, France
| | - Neha Potnis
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
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2
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Chen W, Liu Z, Sun W, Li S, Liu J, Huo W, Jia J, Shen W, Wang Y, Chen G. Electrotransformation of Foodborne Pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii by a Simple Method. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2024; 21:61-67. [PMID: 37856143 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2023.0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen that mainly infects infants and immunocompromised people, with a high mortality rate. However, the efficient transformation method of this bacterium has not been systematically reported. In this study, we developed a fast and efficient transformation method for C. sakazakii by cold sucrose treatment. Compared with CaCl2 or glycerol treatment, the transformation efficiency of this method is significantly high when bacteria were cultured overnight at 42°C before cold sucrose treatment. Furthermore, applying this method, we successfully knocked out the pppA gene by direct electroporation. Collectively, our study provides a simple, time-saving, and efficient method for competent cell preparation of C. sakazakii, which is conducive to the further research of C. sakazakii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhimeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjie Sun
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Siqi Li
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jiajia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weiping Huo
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jia Jia
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenyan Shen
- College of Medical Technology, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi Xian New Area, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- College of Medical Technology, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi Xian New Area, China
| | - Gukui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- School of Medicine, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
- ShaanXi Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology, Xi'an, China
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3
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Mousavi ZE, Koolman L, Macori G, Fanning S, Butler F. Comprehensive Genomic Characterization of Cronobacter sakazakii Isolates from Infant Formula Processing Facilities Using Whole-Genome Sequencing. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2749. [PMID: 38004760 PMCID: PMC10673598 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112749] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen linked to outbreaks in powdered infant formula (PIF), primarily causing meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize 18 C. sakazakii strains isolated from PIF (powdered infant formula) manufacturing plants (2011-2015). Sequence Type (ST) 1 was identified as the dominant sequence type, and all isolates carried virulence genes for chemotaxis, flagellar motion, and heat shock proteins. Multiple antibiotic resistance genes were detected, with all isolates exhibiting resistance to Cephalosporins and Tetracycline. A significant correlation existed between genotypic and phenotypic antibiotic resistance. The plasmid Col(pHAD28) was identified in the isolates recovered from the same PIF environment. All isolates harbored at least one intact phage. All the study isolates were compared with a collection of 96 publicly available C. sakazakii genomes to place these isolates within a global context. This comprehensive study, integrating phylogenetic, genomic, and epidemiological data, contributes to a deeper understanding of Cronobacter outbreaks. It provides valuable insights to enhance surveillance, prevention, and control strategies in food processing and public health contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Ebrahimzadeh Mousavi
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (L.K.); (G.M.); (S.F.)
- School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland;
- Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculties of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 6719418314, Iran
| | - Leonard Koolman
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (L.K.); (G.M.); (S.F.)
| | - Guerrino Macori
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (L.K.); (G.M.); (S.F.)
| | - Séamus Fanning
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (L.K.); (G.M.); (S.F.)
| | - Francis Butler
- School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland;
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4
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Garbowska M, Berthold-Pluta A, Stasiak-Różańska L, Pluta A, Forsythe S, Stefańska I. The Genotyping Diversity and Hemolytic Activity of Cronobacter spp. Isolated from Plant-Based Food Products in Poland. Foods 2023; 12:3873. [PMID: 37893766 PMCID: PMC10606190 DOI: 10.3390/foods12203873] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to determine the genotyping diversity and hemolytic properties of 24 strains of Cronobacter spp. (15 Cronobacter sakazakii, 6 Cronobacter malonaticus, 2 Cronobacter turicensis, and 1 Cronobacter condimenti) isolated from commercial ready-to-eat leaf vegetables, sprouts, nuts, and dried fruits. The multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method was used to determine the sequence types (ST) and clonal complexes (CC) of these strains. The study demonstrated the high genotypic diversity of the Cronobacter genus bacteria isolated from plant-based foods. Five novel sequence types (804, 805, 806, 807, and 808) and the presence of novel alleles in the ppsA, gltB, gyrB, and infB loci were detected. In total, 16 of the 24 strains were assigned to the sequence types ST99, ST258, ST17, ST648, ST21, ST494, and ST98. One C. sakazakii strain (s12) isolated from alfalfa sprouts was assigned to the clonal complex CC4, which encompasses strains often associated with severe infections leading to meningitis in infants. In addition, 87.5% and 16.7% of the Cronobacter spp. strains showed β-hemolysis of equine and sheep red blood cells, respectively. The presence of the pathogenic species C. sakazakii, C. malonaticus, and C. turicensis in ready-to-eat plant-derived food products shows they are potential sources of infection, especially to those with compromised immunity, which substantiates their further multi-faceted characterization. The significance of this study may prove useful not only in epidemiological investigations, but also in assessing the risk of infections caused by the presence of Cronobacter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Garbowska
- Department of Technology and Food Assessment, Division of Milk Technology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (A.B.-P.); (L.S.-R.); (A.P.)
| | - Anna Berthold-Pluta
- Department of Technology and Food Assessment, Division of Milk Technology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (A.B.-P.); (L.S.-R.); (A.P.)
| | - Lidia Stasiak-Różańska
- Department of Technology and Food Assessment, Division of Milk Technology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (A.B.-P.); (L.S.-R.); (A.P.)
| | - Antoni Pluta
- Department of Technology and Food Assessment, Division of Milk Technology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (A.B.-P.); (L.S.-R.); (A.P.)
| | | | - Ilona Stefańska
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland;
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5
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Li Q, Li C, Ye Q, Gu Q, Wu S, Zhang Y, Wei X, Xue L, Chen M, Zeng H, Zhang J, Wu Q. Occurrence, molecular characterization and antibiotic resistance of Cronobacter spp. isolated from wet rice and flour products in Guangdong, China. Curr Res Food Sci 2023; 7:100554. [PMID: 37559946 PMCID: PMC10407891 DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This study explored the prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in wet rice and flour products from Guangdong province, China, the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were identified. Among 249 samples, 100 (40.16%) were positive for Cronobacter spp., including 77 wet rice and 23 wet flour products. Eleven serotypes were characterized among 136 isolates with C. sakazakii O2 (n = 32) predominating. Forty-nine MLST patterns were assigned, 15 of which were new. C. sakazakii ST4 (n = 17) was the dominant ST, which is previously reported to have caused three deaths; followed by C. malonaticus ST7 (n = 15), which is connected to adult infections. All strains presented susceptibility to ampicillin/sulbactam, imipenem, aztreonam and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The isolates showed maximum resistance to cephalothin, and the resistance and intermediate rates were 91.91% and 3.68%, each. Two strains, croM234A1 and croM283-1, displayed resistance to three antibiotics. High contamination level and predominant number of pathogenic STs of Cronobacter in wet rice and flour products implied a potential risk to public healthiness. This survey could provide comprehensive information for establishing more targeted control methods for Cronobacter spp.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qinghua Ye
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Qihui Gu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Shi Wu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Youxiong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Xianhu Wei
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Liang Xue
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Moutong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Qingping Wu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
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6
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Jackson EE, Gnanou Besse N, Bennour Hennekinne R, Ells T, Laurentie M, Meheut T, Forsythe SJ. Lack of correlation between growth rate and sequence type among Cronobacter sakazakii. Food Microbiol 2023; 111:104191. [PMID: 36681390 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2022.104191] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Species identification and growth rates for a collection of Cronobacter strains from clinical and non-clinical sources have been previously reported. However, advancements in DNA sequencing-based identification methods now allow for more accurate identification. Here we report the sequence types (STs) for 24 strains of Cronobacter sakazakii and examine any possible correlation between sequence type and growth rate, which could influence risk through greater pathogen multiplication and reach of infectious doses during time between formula preparation and feeding. The most common clonal complexes (CCs) identified were C. sakazakii CC1 and CC4. CC1 strains belonged to ST1 (n = 8) and ST391 (n = 1), while CC4 included ST4 (n = 4), ST255 (n = 1) and ST295 (n = 1). Three strains were found to belong to CC100 and two were found to belong to ST64. The remaining STs identified were represented by single strains. CC4 strains have a slightly not significant tendency for faster growth rates at 25 °C; however, the small sample size suggests that more strains need to be analysed to determine if this is a true result. In conclusion, the growth rates of C. sakazakii strains do not appear to be strongly correlated to ST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Jackson
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, United Kingdom.
| | - Nathalie Gnanou Besse
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety. Laboratory for Food Safety, Anses, 23 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94706, Maisons Alfort Cedex, France.
| | - Rabeb Bennour Hennekinne
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety. Laboratory for Food Safety, Anses, 23 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94706, Maisons Alfort Cedex, France.
| | - Timothy Ells
- Kentville Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kentville, Nova Scotia, B4N 1J5, Canada.
| | - Michel Laurentie
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, Laboratory of Fougères, Platform PAS, 10 Bis r Claude Bourgelat, Javené, France.
| | - Thomas Meheut
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety. Laboratory for Food Safety, Anses, 23 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94706, Maisons Alfort Cedex, France
| | - Stephen J Forsythe
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, United Kingdom.
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7
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Jiang H, Xiang Y, He X, Li C, Lin F, Shao J, Li Y. Identification and antibiotic resistance of Cronobacter spp. isolated from dried edible mushrooms. J Food Sci 2022; 87:3588-3598. [PMID: 35836296 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.16251] [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: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause life-threatening diseases in infants and immunocompromised adults. The present study was carried out to understand the prevalence and characterization of Cronobacter spp. in dried edible mushrooms in Jiangsu province, China. Cronobacter isolates were identified and genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST); the antimicrobial susceptibility of Cronobacter strains was determined by the disk diffusion method; the biofilm formation ability of Cronobacter spp. was assessed using the microtiter plate method. The overall prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in dried edible mushrooms was 14.8%, with the highest contamination rate of after 37.2% found in Auricularia auricular. The Cronobacter isolates were identified as C. sakazakii (n = 26), C. malonaticus (n = 2), C. dublinensis (n = 2) and C. turicensis (n = 1). The MLST scheme produced 20 sequence types (STs), two of which were newly identified. ST148 was the most prevalent ST (n = 5), followed by ST4 (n = 3), ST17 (n = 3), ST64 (n = 3), and ST540 (n = 2). One (3.2%) and 15 (48.4%) Cronobacter isolates were resistant to tetracycline and meropenem, respectively. In contrast, all of the tested isolates were susceptible to the remaining 14 antibiotics. Moreover, 20 (64.5%) Cronobacter isolates showed weak ability to produce biofilm, but no isolates showed strong or moderate biofilm-forming ability. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Our findings revealed a high genetic diversity of Cronobacter spp. in dried edible mushrooms and provided new epidemiological evidence for the widespread existence of Cronobacter spp. in such products. The presence of Cronobacter spp. in dried edible mushrooms may pose potential risks to human health and enhancing the hygiene of such products are necessary to ensure food safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Jiang
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yue Xiang
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xiaojuan He
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Chencheng Li
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Fuxing Lin
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Jihong Shao
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yuanhong Li
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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8
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Parra-Flores J, Holý O, Acuña S, Lepuschitz S, Pietzka A, Contreras-Fernández A, Chavarría-Sepulveda P, Cruz-Córdova A, Xicohtencatl-Cortes J, Mancilla-Rojano J, Castillo A, Ruppitsch W, Forsythe S. Genomic Characterization of Cronobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. Strains Isolated From Powdered Infant Formula in Chile. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:884721. [PMID: 35722296 PMCID: PMC9201451 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.884721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
This study characterized five Cronobacter spp. and six Salmonella spp. strains that had been isolated from 155 samples of powdered infant formula (PIF) sold in Chile and manufactured in Chile and Mexico in 2018–2020. Two strains of Cronobacter sakazakii sequence type (ST) ST1 and ST31 (serotypes O:1 and O:2) and one strain of Cronobacter malonaticus ST60 (O:1) were identified. All Salmonella strains were identified as Salmonella Typhimurium ST19 (serotype O:4) by average nucleotide identity, ribosomal multilocus sequence typing (rMLST), and core genome MLST (cgMLST). The C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus isolates were resistant to cephalothin, whereas the Salmonella isolates were resistant to oxacillin and ampicillin. Nineteen antibiotic resistance genes were detected in the C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus isolates; the most prevalent were mcr-9.1, blaCSA, and blaCMA. In Salmonella, 30 genes encoding for aminoglycoside and cephalosporin resistance were identified, including aac(6′)-Iaa, β-lactamases ampH, ampC1, and marA. In the Cronobacter isolates, 32 virulence-associated genes were detected by WGS and clustered as flagellar proteins, outer membrane proteins, chemotaxis, hemolysins, invasion, plasminogen activator, colonization, transcriptional regulator, survival in macrophages, use of sialic acid, and toxin-antitoxin genes. In the Salmonella strains, 120 virulence associated genes were detected, adherence, magnesium uptake, resistance to antimicrobial peptides, secretion system, stress protein, toxin, resistance to complement killing, and eight pathogenicity islands. The C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus strains harbored I-E and I-F CRISPR-Cas systems and carried Col(pHHAD28) and IncFIB(pCTU1) plasmids, respectively. The Salmonella strains harbored type I-E CRISPR-Cas systems and carried IncFII(S) plasmids. The presence of C. sakazakii and Salmonella in PIF is a health risk for infants aged less than 6 months. For this reason, sanitary practices should be reinforced for its production and retail surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Parra-Flores
- Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Ondřej Holý
- Science and Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Sergio Acuña
- Department of Food Engineering, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Sarah Lepuschitz
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ariane Pietzka
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Ariadnna Cruz-Córdova
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jetsi Mancilla-Rojano
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico.,Faculty of Medicine, Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Castillo
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Werner Ruppitsch
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
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9
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Fei P, Jing H, Ma Y, Dong G, Chang Y, Meng Z, Jiang S, Xie Q, Li S, Chen X, Yang W. Cronobacter spp. in Commercial Powdered Infant Formula Collected From Nine Provinces in China: Prevalence, Genotype, Biofilm Formation, and Antibiotic Susceptibility. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:900690. [PMID: 35711752 PMCID: PMC9197194 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.900690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in commercial powdered infant formula (PIF) from nine provinces in China from March 2018 to September 2020, and to reveal the genotype, biofilm-forming ability, and antibiotic susceptibility of these isolates. A total of 27 Cronobacter strains, consisting of 22 Cronobacter sakazakii strains, 3 Cronobacter malonaticus strains, 1 Cronobacter turicensis strain, and 1 Cronobacter dublinensis strain, were isolated from 3,600 commercial PIF samples with a prevalence rate of 0.75%. Compared with the other 8 provinces, PIF from Shaanxi province had a higher prevalence rate (1.25%) of Cronobacter spp. These isolates were divided into 14 sequence types (STs), and 6 Cronobacter serotypes. The main Cronobacter STs were ST4, ST1, and ST64, and the dominant Cronobacter serotype was C. sakazakii serotype O2. Approximately 88.89% of Cronobacter isolates had a strong ability (OD595 > 1) to form biofilms on tinplate, among which the strains with ST4 were more dominant. All isolates were susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, sulfadiazine, sulfadoxine, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and colistin, while 55.56 and 96.30% isolates were resistant to cephalothin and vancomycin, respectively. Taken together, our findings highlighted the contamination status and characterization of Cronobacter spp. in commercial PIF from nine provinces of China, and provided guidance for the effective prevention and control of this pathogen in the production of PIF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Fei
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - He Jing
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Yan Ma
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Gege Dong
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Yunhe Chang
- Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering Institute, Guiyang University, Guiyang, China
| | - Zhaoxu Meng
- Inner Mongolia Meng Niu Dairy Industry (Group) Co. Ltd. R&D Center, Hohhot, China
| | | | - Qinggang Xie
- Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Shuzhen Li
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Institute of Integrated Agricultural Development Research, Guizhou Academy of Agriculrural Sciences, Guiyang, China
| | - Weiwei Yang
- The Department of Food Science, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
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10
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Insights into the mechanisms of Cronobacter sakazakii virulence. Microb Pathog 2022; 169:105643. [PMID: 35716925 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter species have adapted to survive harsh conditions, particularly in the food manufacture environment, and can cause life-threatening infections in susceptible hosts. These opportunistic pathogens employ a multitude of mechanisms to aid their virulence throughout three key stages: environmental persistence, infection strategy, and systemic persistence in the human host. Environmental persistence is aided by the formation of biofilms, development of subpopulations, and high tolerance to environmental stressors. Successful infection in the human host involves several mechanisms such as protein secretion, motility, quorum sensing, colonisation, and translocation. Survival inside the host is achieved via competitive acquisition and utilization of minerals and metabolites respectively, coupled with host immune system evasion and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms. Across the globe, Cronobacter sakazakii is associated with often fatal systemic infections in populations including neonates, infants, the elderly and the immunocompromised. By providing insight into the mechanisms of virulence utilised by this pathogen across these three stages, this review identifies current gaps in the literature. Further research into these virulence mechanisms is required to inform novel mitigation measures to improve global food safety with regards to this food-borne pathogen.
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11
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Fei P, Xing M, Feng Y, Liu S, Chang Y, Wang Y, Yu Y, Shi E, Zhang Y, Bian X, Chen J. Occurrence, Molecular Characterization, and Antibiotic Resistance of Cronobacter sakazakii in Goat Milk-Based Infant Formula from Shaanxi Province, China. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2022; 19:304-310. [PMID: 35447050 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2021.0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Cronobacter sakazakii in goat milk-based infant formula (GIF) collected from Shaanxi Province, China, and reveal the molecular characterization and antibiotic resistance profile of these isolates. A total of 750 GIF samples were collected from the retail markets in 5 cities in Shaanxi Province from February 2019 to February 2021. Molecular characterization was investigated using multilocus sequence typing and O-antigen serotyping. Antibiotic resistance of C. sakazakii isolates was assessed using antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Thirty-two strains of C. sakazakii were isolated from GIF samples with a prevalence rate of 4.27% and were divided into 16 sequence types (STs); among them, ST4 (6/32, 18.75%) and ST21 (5/32, 15.63%) were dominant. Five C. sakazakii serotypes (O2, O1, O7, O4, and O3) were detected, and C. sakazakii serotype O2 (15/32, 46.88%) was the main. Of the 21 antimicrobials, isolates showed higher resistance against cephalothin (87.5%), amoxicillin (25%), azithromycin (18.75%), oxytetracycline (18.75%), ampicillin (12.5%), and streptomycin (12.5%). In addition, three isolates were found to be resistant to three antimicrobials. These findings revealed the potential epidemiological risk and characterization of C. sakazakii in GIF from Shaanxi Province, China, and provided reference data for the effective prevention and control of C. sakazakii in powdered infant formula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Fei
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.,School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China.,College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Min Xing
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Yage Feng
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Shun Liu
- School of Zhang Zhongjing Health Care and Food, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Yajing Chang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Yao Wang
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Yaping Yu
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Encong Shi
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Yaqing Zhang
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Xin Bian
- Key Laboratory of Food Science and Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, College of Food Engineering, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin, China
| | - Junliang Chen
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
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12
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Liyanapathiranage P, Wagner N, Avram O, Pupko T, Potnis N. Phylogenetic Distribution and Evolution of Type VI Secretion System in the Genus Xanthomonas. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:840308. [PMID: 35495725 PMCID: PMC9048695 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.840308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The type VI secretion system (T6SS) present in many Gram-negative bacteria is a contact-dependent apparatus that can directly deliver secreted effectors or toxins into diverse neighboring cellular targets including both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Recent reverse genetics studies with T6 core gene loci have indicated the importance of functional T6SS toward overall competitive fitness in various pathogenic Xanthomonas spp. To understand the contribution of T6SS toward ecology and evolution of Xanthomonas spp., we explored the distribution of the three distinguishable T6SS clusters, i3*, i3***, and i4, in approximately 1,740 Xanthomonas genomes, along with their conservation, genetic organization, and their evolutionary patterns in this genus. Screening genomes for core genes of each T6 cluster indicated that 40% of the sequenced strains possess two T6 clusters, with combinations of i3*** and i3* or i3*** and i4. A few strains of Xanthomonas citri, Xanthomonas phaseoli, and Xanthomonas cissicola were the exception, possessing a unique combination of i3* and i4. The findings also indicated clade-specific distribution of T6SS clusters. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that T6SS clusters i3* and i3*** were probably acquired by the ancestor of the genus Xanthomonas, followed by gain or loss of individual clusters upon diversification into subsequent clades. T6 i4 cluster has been acquired in recent independent events by group 2 xanthomonads followed by its spread via horizontal dissemination across distinct clades across groups 1 and 2 xanthomonads. We also noted reshuffling of the entire core T6 loci, as well as T6SS spike complex components, hcp and vgrG, among different species. Our findings indicate that gain or loss events of specific T6SS clusters across Xanthomonas phylogeny have not been random.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Naama Wagner
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Oren Avram
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tal Pupko
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Neha Potnis
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
- *Correspondence: Neha Potnis,
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13
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Csorba C, Pajić M, Blagojević B, Forsythe S, Radinović M, Velebit B. Prevalence, characterization, and antibiotic susceptibility of Cronobacter spp. in a milk powder processing environment: The first reported case in Serbia. Food Sci Nutr 2022; 10:554-563. [PMID: 35154691 PMCID: PMC8825717 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic foodborne pathogens that most often infect neonates and infants through contaminated powdered infant formula. No reports have been published in Serbia on the prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in powdered milk production environments. Consequently, this study aimed to determine the prevalence, molecular characterization, antimicrobial susceptibility, and biofilm-forming ability of Cronobacter spp. isolated from a milk powder plant. Hundred samples were collected from the production facility. Fifteen Cronobacter sakazakii strains were isolated and identified, giving a contamination rate of 15%. Using multi-locus sequence typing, the isolates were divided into five sequence types (STs). Cronobacter sakazakii ST4 (50%), ST1 (16.67%), and ST83 (16.67%) were the dominant STs isolated. A novel sequence type (ST759) was identified and registered in the Cronobacter MLST database. The results of the antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated that C. sakazakii strains were susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam, ampicillin/sulbactam, and amoxicillin/clavulanate, especially to meropenem and cefotaxime. Most of the ST4 showed moderate-to-strong biofilm-forming ability. The presence of clinically relevant isolates (ST4, ST1, ST83, and ST8) revealed that the production plant is likely a potential concern for public health. Finally, finding new sequence types like the one detected in this study (ST759) underlines evolving genetic changes in C. sakazakii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Csorba
- Department of Veterinary MedicineFaculty of AgricultureUniversity of Novi SadNovi SadSerbia
| | - Marija Pajić
- Department of Veterinary MedicineFaculty of AgricultureUniversity of Novi SadNovi SadSerbia
| | - Bojan Blagojević
- Department of Veterinary MedicineFaculty of AgricultureUniversity of Novi SadNovi SadSerbia
| | | | - Miodrag Radinović
- Department of Veterinary MedicineFaculty of AgricultureUniversity of Novi SadNovi SadSerbia
| | - Branko Velebit
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular BiologyInstitute of Meat Hygiene and TechnologyBelgradeSerbia
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14
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Parra-Flores J, Holý O, Riffo F, Lepuschitz S, Maury-Sintjago E, Rodríguez-Fernández A, Cruz-Córdova A, Xicohtencatl-Cortes J, Mancilla-Rojano J, Troncoso M, Figueroa G, Ruppitsch W, Forsythe S. Profiling the Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Genes of Cronobacter sakazakii Strains Isolated From Powdered and Dairy Formulas by Whole-Genome Sequencing. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:694922. [PMID: 34276629 PMCID: PMC8278472 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.694922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is an enteropathogen that causes neonatal meningitis, septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants and newborns with a mortality rate of 15 to 80%. Powdered and dairy formulas (P-DF) have been implicated as major transmission vehicles and subsequently the presence of this pathogen in P-DF led to product recalls in Chile in 2017. The objective of this study was to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) and laboratory studies to characterize Cronobacter strains from the contaminated products. Seven strains were identified as C. sakazakii, and the remaining strain was Franconibacter helveticus. All C. sakazakii strains adhered to a neuroblastoma cell line, and 31 virulence genes were predicted by WGS. The antibiograms varied between strains. and included mcr-9.1 and bla CSA genes, conferring resistance to colistin and cephalothin, respectively. The C. sakazakii strains encoded I-E and I-F CRISPR-Cas systems, and carried IncFII(pECLA), Col440I, and Col(pHHAD28) plasmids. In summary, WGS enabled the identification of C. sakazakii strains and revealed multiple antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. These findings support the decision to recall the contaminated powdered and dairy formulas from the Chilean market in 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Parra-Flores
- Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Ondrej Holý
- Department of Public Health, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
| | | | - Sarah Lepuschitz
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Ariadnna Cruz-Córdova
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jetsi Mancilla-Rojano
- Intestinal Bacteriology Research Laboratory, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
- Faculty of Medicine, Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Miriam Troncoso
- Microbiology and Probiotics Laboratory, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Guillermo Figueroa
- Microbiology and Probiotics Laboratory, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Werner Ruppitsch
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Vienna, Austria
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15
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Qin X, Wang H, Miao C, Yang X, Zhang Y, Feng J, Forsythe SJ, Man C, Jiang Y. Comparative genomics reveals environmental adaptation differences between Cronobacter species. Food Res Int 2021; 147:110541. [PMID: 34399518 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110541] [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: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The genus Cronobacter is an opportunistic food-borne pathogen which is able to adapt to diverse environments and shows considerable genetic diversity. Genomic analysis can be used to reveal the variation across the genus with respect to virulence, drug resistance and factors involved in horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, such as integrons, conjugative plasmids, and recombinases. In this study, whole-genome comparative analysis of 27 Cronobacter genomes (12 existing and 15 newly assembled genomes) was performed. A total of 110,010 protein-coding genes were grouped into 11,262 clusters, including 2637 core genes, 4814 strain-specific genes and 3811 dispensable genes. Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) analysis indicated that 97.35% of the core genes were for substrate transport and metabolism, and the antibiotic resistance genetic determinants were classified into 136 antibiotic resistance ontologies (AROs). A total of 80 genomic islands (GIs) were identified which contained several type VI secretion system gene clusters, and these were likely to have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. This study has generated a comprehensive characterization of the genus Cronobacter, leading to a better understanding of the mechanisms and ecological functions among the genome features, speciation, and environmental adaptation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Qin
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Hao Wang
- College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Chao Miao
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Xinyan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yanming Zhang
- SinoGenoMax Co., Ltd./Chinese National Human Genome Center, Beijing 100176, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | | | - Chaoxin Man
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
| | - Yujun Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
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16
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Zeng H, Li C, Luo D, Zhang J, Ding Y, Chen M, Yang X, Lei T, Wu S, Ye Q, Pang R, Gu Q, Wu Q. Novel phage vB_CtuP_B1 for controlling Cronobacter malonaticus and Cronobacter turicensis in ready-to-eat lettuce and powered infant formula. Food Res Int 2021; 143:110255. [PMID: 33992361 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are important foodborne pathogens that are a threat to people of all ages, but especially neonates and infants. Bacteriophages are biological agents that are potentially useful for the control of foodborne pathogens. However, there has been little research on the control of C. malonaticus and C. turicensis using bacteriophages. In the present study, a novel lytic phage vB_CtuP_B1 (hereafter referred to as B1)-which can simultaneously lyse C. malonaticus and C. turicensis- was isolated from river water in Guangzhou, China, and was used in the control of Cronobacter contaminated food. The phage has a short tail, and has been identified as a new species of Kayfunavirus based on genomic and phylogenetic analyses. One-step growth and stability assays revealed that phage B1 has a very short latent period (<5 min) and a large burst size (4006 pfu/cell), and is highly stable between 25 and 60 °C and between pH 5 and 11. Its genome encodes two lytic proteins, but does not contain any genes responsible for antibiotic resistance and virulence factors. In broth, the phage B1 completely inhibited the growth of C. malonaticus cro2475W and C. turicensis cro1541A1-1 for up to 6 h. On lettuce, phage B1 reduced the viable count of C. turicensis cro1541A1-1 to below the detection limit for bacteria on lettuce (<10 cfu/mL) after 6 h at 4 °C and 2 h at 25 °C, and also significantly reduced the viable count of C. malonaticus cro2475W at those temperatures. In powdered infant formula, the viable counts of both the phage-treated bacterial hosts were significantly reduced after 2 h of storage at 4 °C or 37 °C. Furthermore, phage B1 reduced the viable count of C. turicensis cro1541A1-1 to below the detection limit (<10 cfu/mL) from 4 h to 24 h at 37 °C. It significantly inhibited the growth of C. turicensis cro1541A1-1 than that of C. malonaticus cro2475W (P < 0.05). In conclusion, phage B1 with high stability and strong lytic ability is potentially useful for controlling C. malonaticus and C. turicensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Chengsi Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Dandan Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Moutong Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Xiaojuan Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Tao Lei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Shi Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Qinghua Ye
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Rui Pang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Qihui Gu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China.
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17
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Lavefve L, Cureau N, Rodhouse L, Marasini D, Walker LM, Ashley D, Lee S, Gadonna‐Widehem P, Anton PM, Carbonero F. Microbiota profiles and dynamics in fermented plant‐based products and preliminary assessment of their in vitro gut microbiota modulation. FOOD FRONTIERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/fft2.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lavefve
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Natacha Cureau
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Lindsey Rodhouse
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Daya Marasini
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Laura M. Walker
- Department of Biology Washington University in Saint‐Louis St Louis MO USA
| | - Danielle Ashley
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Sun‐Ok Lee
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
| | - Pascale Gadonna‐Widehem
- Transformations & Agroresources, ULR7519 Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Universite d’Artois Beauvais France
| | - Pauline M. Anton
- Transformations & Agroresources, ULR7519 Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Universite d’Artois Beauvais France
| | - Franck Carbonero
- Department of Food Science University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR USA
- Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Elson Floyd School of Medicine Washington State University‐Spokane Spokane WA USA
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18
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Costa PV, Vasconcellos L, Forsythe SJ, Brandão MLL. Diversity of Cronobacter genus isolated between 1970 and 2019 on the American continent and genotyped using multi-locus sequence typing. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2021; 368:6156629. [PMID: 33677554 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the Cronobacter spp. strains isolated on the American continent and characterized using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) available in the PubMLST database and current literature. From 465 Cronobacter spp. strains, the majority (n = 267, 57.4%) was from North America, mainly from USA (n = 234) and 198 (42.6%) were from South America, mainly from Brazil (n = 196). A total of 232 (49.9%) were isolated from foods, 102 (21.9%) from environmental, 87 (18.7%) from clinical, 27 (5.8%) from PIF, one from water (0.2%) and 16 (3.5%) from unknown sources. A total of five species were represented: Cronobacter sakazakii (374, 80.4%), Cronobacter malonaticus (41, 8.8%), Cronobacter dublinensis (29, 6.2%), Cronobacter turicensis (16, 3.5%) and Cronobacter muytjensii (5, 1.1%). The strains with complete MLST profile (n = 345) were assigned to 98 STs, a ratio of 3.5 strain by ST found and the calculated Simpson`s index was 0.93. The strains showed a high diversity and after eBURST analysis, 30 STs (n = 189) formed 12 single and/or double-locus variant clonal complexes (CC). A total of 38 STs (38.7%) were associated with clinical cases of infection, including well established C. sakazakii CC 1, 4, 8 and 83; C. malonaticus ST60, 307, 394 and 440; and C. sakazakii ST 12 and 494.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luiza Vasconcellos
- Department of Quality Control, Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, Avenida Brasil n.º 4365, Brazil
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Ling N, Jiang Y, Zeng H, Ding Y, Forsythe S. Advances in our understanding and distribution of the Cronobacter genus in China. J Food Sci 2021; 86:276-283. [PMID: 33438222 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review considers how research in China has progressed our understanding and subsequent improved control of Cronobacter. This emergent bacterial pathogen is associated with neonatal infections through the ingestion of contaminated prepared feed. The review includes large-scale surveys of various sources of the organism, including infant formula production facilities. The analysis of over 20,000 samples is presented. Over 10,000 being from powdered infant formula and other infant foods as well as environmental sampling of production facilities, the remaining being from food, food ingredients, and human carriage. A major advance in China was adopting DNA-sequence-based methods (that is, multilocus sequence typing, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-cas array profiling, and single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis) for the identification and genotyping of the organism. These methods have considerably advanced our understanding of the taxonomy, ecology, and virulence of this organism. In turn, this has improved source tracking of the organism both in infant formula production facilities and epidemiological investigations. Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing has revealed a range of virulence and persistence mechanisms as well as plasmid-borne multidrug resistance traits. China now has reliable and robust methods for accurate microbial source tracking of Cronobacter for use both in the food production environment and epidemiological analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Ling
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.,Guangdong Institute of Microbiology & Guangdong Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application & Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou, 510070, China
| | - Yujun Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- Guangdong Institute of Microbiology & Guangdong Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application & Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou, 510070, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, College of Science & Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
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20
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Molecular Characterization of Cronobacter sakazakii Strains Isolated from Powdered Milk. Foods 2020; 10:foods10010020. [PMID: 33374633 PMCID: PMC7822459 DOI: 10.3390/foods10010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The organism causes infections in all age groups, but the most serious cases occur in outbreaks related to neonates with meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. The objective was to determine the in silico and in vitro putative virulence factors of six Cronobacter sakazakii strains isolated from powdered milk (PM) in the Czech Republic. Strains were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Virulence and resistance genes were detected with the Ridom SeqSphere+ software task template and the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) platform. Adherence and invasion ability were performed using the mouse neuroblastoma (N1E-115 ATCCCRL-2263) cell line. The CRISPR-Cas system was searched with CRISPRCasFinder. Core genome MLST identified four different sequence types (ST1, ST145, ST245, and ST297) in six isolates. Strains 13755-1B and 1847 were able to adhere in 2.2 and 3.2 × 106 CFU/mL, while 0.00073% invasion frequency was detected only in strain 1847. Both strains 13755-1B and 1847 were positive for three (50.0%) and four virulence genes, respectively. The cpa gene was not detected. Twenty-eight genes were detected by WGS and grouped as flagellar or outer membrane proteins, chemotaxis, hemolysins, and invasion, plasminogen activator, colonization, transcriptional regulator, and survival in macrophages. The colistin-resistance-encoding mcr-9.1 and cephalothin-resis-encoding blaCSA genes and IncFII(pECLA) and IncFIB(pCTU3) plasmids were detected. All strains exhibited CRISPR matrices and four of them two type I-E and I-F matrices. Combined molecular methodologies improve Cronobacter spp. decision-making for health authorities to protect the population.
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Performance and Application of 16S rRNA Gene Cycle Sequencing for Routine Identification of Bacteria in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. Clin Microbiol Rev 2020; 33:33/4/e00053-19. [PMID: 32907806 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00053-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review provides a state-of-the-art description of the performance of Sanger cycle sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene for routine identification of bacteria in the clinical microbiology laboratory. A detailed description of the technology and current methodology is outlined with a major focus on proper data analyses and interpretation of sequences. The remainder of the article is focused on a comprehensive evaluation of the application of this method for identification of bacterial pathogens based on analyses of 16S multialignment sequences. In particular, the existing limitations of similarity within 16S for genus- and species-level differentiation of clinically relevant pathogens and the lack of sequence data currently available in public databases is highlighted. A multiyear experience is described of a large regional clinical microbiology service with direct 16S broad-range PCR followed by cycle sequencing for direct detection of pathogens in appropriate clinical samples. The ability of proteomics (matrix-assisted desorption ionization-time of flight) versus 16S sequencing for bacterial identification and genotyping is compared. Finally, the potential for whole-genome analysis by next-generation sequencing (NGS) to replace 16S sequencing for routine diagnostic use is presented for several applications, including the barriers that must be overcome to fully implement newer genomic methods in clinical microbiology. A future challenge for large clinical, reference, and research laboratories, as well as for industry, will be the translation of vast amounts of accrued NGS microbial data into convenient algorithm testing schemes for various applications (i.e., microbial identification, genotyping, and metagenomics and microbiome analyses) so that clinically relevant information can be reported to physicians in a format that is understood and actionable. These challenges will not be faced by clinical microbiologists alone but by every scientist involved in a domain where natural diversity of genes and gene sequences plays a critical role in disease, health, pathogenicity, epidemiology, and other aspects of life-forms. Overcoming these challenges will require global multidisciplinary efforts across fields that do not normally interact with the clinical arena to make vast amounts of sequencing data clinically interpretable and actionable at the bedside.
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22
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Li C, Zeng H, Zhang J, Luo D, Chen M, Lei T, Yang X, Wu H, Cai S, Ye Y, Ding Y, Wang J, Wu Q. Cronobacter spp. isolated from aquatic products in China: Incidence, antibiotic resistance, molecular characteristic and CRISPR diversity. Int J Food Microbiol 2020; 335:108857. [PMID: 32947144 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter species (Cronobacter spp.) are important foodborne pathogens that can infect and cause serious life-threatening diseases in infants and immunocompromised elderly. This study aimed to acquire data on Cronobacter spp. contamination of aquatic products in China from 2011 to 2016. In total, 800 aquatic products were tested, and the overall contamination rate for Cronobacter spp. was 3.9% (31/800). The average contamination level of the positive samples was 2.05 MPN/g. Four species and nine serotypes were identified among 33 isolates, of which the C. sakazakii serogroup O1 (n = 9) was the primary serotype. The majority of Cronobacter spp. strains harbored highest resistance against cephalothin (84.8%), followed by tetracycline (6.1%), trimethoprim/sulfameth-oxazole (3.0%) and chloramphenicol (3.0%). Two isolates were resistant to three antibiotics. In total, 26 sequence types and 33 CRISPR types (including 6 new STs and 26 new CTs) were identified, which indicates the extremely high diversity of Cronobacter spp. in aquatic products. Pathogenic C. sakazakii ST4, ST1, and C. malonaticus ST7 were also observed. Overall, this large-scale study revealed the relatively low prevalence and high genetic diversity of Cronobacter spp. in aquatic products in China, and the findings provide valuable information that can guide the establishment of effective measures for the control and precaution of Cronobacter spp. in aquatic products during production processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengsi Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Dandan Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Moutong Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Tao Lei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Xiaojuan Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Haoming Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Shuzhen Cai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yingwang Ye
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Food Science &Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong, Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China.
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23
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Carvalho GG, Calarga AP, Teodoro JR, Queiroz MM, Astudillo-Trujillo CA, Levy CE, Brocchi M, Kabuki DY. Isolation, comparison of identification methods and antibiotic resistance of Cronobacter spp. in infant foods. Food Res Int 2020; 137:109643. [PMID: 33233222 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic pathogens that cause serious infections, especially in infants, elderly, and immunocompromised people. Dehydrated infant foods are the main vehicle associated with infections caused by these bacteria. Thus, this study aims to investigate the occurrence of Cronobacter spp. in 152 commercial samples of dehydrated infant formulas (77 samples) and dehydrated infant cereals (75 samples), as well as characterize the isolates. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) methods for isolate identification were used, and their results compared. Furthermore, the susceptibility to 11 antibiotics was tested, and DNA sequencing of one isolate with multi-drug resistance was analyzed. No contamination in the infant formula samples was found, whereas 17.33% (13/75) of the infant cereal samples presented contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii. The identification results by PCR and MALDI-TOF/MS were divergent for some isolates. The antimicrobial resistance results showed a high incidence of resistance to cefazolin (94.4%) besides resistance to amoxicillin (9.45%), cefpodoxime (5.55%), streptomycin (1.35%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (1.35%). Whole genome sequencing of one multi-drug resistant isolate showed six genes associated with antimicrobial resistance and an 82% possibility of being a human pathogen based on the presence of virulence factors. The presence of Cronobacter spp. in infant foods represents a risk for the infant's health. Moreover, the presence of a pathogenic multi-drug resistant isolate in infant's food reinforces the necessity of improving food safety policies to protect young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Guimarães Carvalho
- Department of Food Science, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
| | - Aline Parolin Calarga
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Josie Roberta Teodoro
- Department of Food Science, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Murilo Mariz Queiroz
- Department of Food Science, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos Emilio Levy
- Department of Clinical Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Brocchi
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Dirce Yorika Kabuki
- Department of Food Science, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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24
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Li P, Dong X, Wang XY, Du T, Du XJ, Wang S. Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Adhesion/Invasion Related Proteins in Cronobacter sakazakii Based on Data-Independent Acquisition Coupled With LC-MS/MS. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1239. [PMID: 32582128 PMCID: PMC7296052 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is foodborne pathogen that causes serious illnesses such as necrotizing enterocolitis, meningitis and septicemia in infants. However, the virulence determinants and mechanisms of pathogenicity of these species remain unclear. In this study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed on 34 C. sakazakii strains and two strains with the same sequence type (ST) but distinct adhesion/invasion capabilities were selected for identification of differentially expressed proteins using data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomic analysis. A total of 2,203 proteins were identified and quantified. Among these proteins, 210 exhibited differential expression patterns with abundance ratios ≥3 or ≤0.33 and P values ≤0.05. Among these 210 proteins, 67 were expressed higher, and 143 were expressed lower in C. sakazakii SAKA80220 (strongly adhesive/invasive strain) compared with C. sakazakii SAKA80221 (weakly adhesive/invasive strain). Based on a detailed analysis of the differentially expressed proteins, the highly expressed genes involved in flagellar assembly, lipopolysaccharide synthesis, LuxS/AI-2, energy metabolic pathways and iron-sulfur cluster may be associated with the adhesion/invasion capability of C. sakazakii. To verify the accuracy of the proteomic results, real-time qPCR was used to analyze the expression patterns of some genes at the transcriptional level, and consistent results were observed. This study, for the first time, used DIA proteomic to investigate potential adhesion/invasion related factors as a useful reference for further studies on the pathogenic mechanism of C. sakazakii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuan Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiao-Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Ting Du
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin-Jun Du
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Science and Health, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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25
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Jang H, Gopinath GR, Eshwar A, Srikumar S, Nguyen S, Gangiredla J, Patel IR, Finkelstein SB, Negrete F, Woo J, Lee Y, Fanning S, Stephan R, Tall BD, Lehner A. The Secretion of Toxins and Other Exoproteins of Cronobacter: Role in Virulence, Adaption, and Persistence. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E229. [PMID: 32046365 PMCID: PMC7074816 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8020229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
: Cronobacter species are considered an opportunistic group of foodborne pathogenic bacteria capable of causing both intestinal and systemic human disease. This review describes common virulence themes shared among the seven Cronobacter species and describes multiple exoproteins secreted by Cronobacter, many of which are bacterial toxins that may play a role in human disease. The review will particularly concentrate on the virulence factors secreted by C. sakazakii, C. malonaticus, and C. turicensis, which are the primary human pathogens of interest. It has been discovered that various species-specific virulence factors adversely affect a wide range of eukaryotic cell processes including protein synthesis, cell division, and ion secretion. Many of these factors are toxins which have been shown to also modulate the host immune response. These factors are encoded on a variety of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and transposons; this genomic plasticity implies ongoing re-assortment of virulence factor genes which has complicated our efforts to categorize Cronobacter into sharply defined genomic pathotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyein Jang
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Gopal R. Gopinath
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Athmanya Eshwar
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; (A.E.); (R.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Shabarinath Srikumar
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, Science Centre South, University College Dublin, Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland; (S.S.); (S.N.); (S.F.)
| | - Scott Nguyen
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, Science Centre South, University College Dublin, Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland; (S.S.); (S.N.); (S.F.)
| | - Jayanthi Gangiredla
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Isha R. Patel
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Samantha B. Finkelstein
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Flavia Negrete
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - JungHa Woo
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - YouYoung Lee
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Séamus Fanning
- UCD-Centre for Food Safety, Science Centre South, University College Dublin, Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland; (S.S.); (S.N.); (S.F.)
| | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; (A.E.); (R.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Ben D. Tall
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD 20708, USA; (H.J.); (J.G.); (F.N.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Angelika Lehner
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland; (A.E.); (R.S.); (A.L.)
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26
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Prevalence, genetic analysis and CRISPR typing of Cronobacter spp. isolated from meat and meat products in China. Int J Food Microbiol 2020; 321:108549. [PMID: 32062304 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are important foodborne pathogens that infections occur in all age groups, especially cause serious life-threatening diseases in infants. This study aimed to acquire data on Cronobacter spp. contamination of meat and meat products (n = 588) in China during 2011 to 2016, and investigated the use of CRISPR typing technology as an approach for characterizing the genetics of Cronobacter spp. The overall contamination rate for Cronobacter spp. was determined to be 9.18% (54/588). Of the positive samples, 90.74% (49/54) had <10 MPN/g, with duck samples had a relatively high contamination rate (15.69%, 8/51) and highest contamination level (28.90 MPN/g). Four species and nine serotypes were identified among 69 isolates, of which C. sakazakii was the major species (n = 50) and C. sakazakii serogroup O1 and O2 (n = 17) were the primary serotypes. The majority of Cronobacter spp. strains were found to be susceptible to most antibiotics except exhibited high resistance to cephalothin (76.81%, 53/69), and total two multi-drug resistant C. sakazakii strains were isolated from duck. The genetic diversity of Cronobacter spp. was remarkably high, as evidenced by the identification of 40 sequence types (STs) and 60 CRISPR types (CTs). C. sakazakii ST64 (n = 7) was the predominant genotype and was further divided into two sub-lineages based on CRISPR diversity, showing different antibiotic resistance profile. These results demonstrate that CRISPR typing results have a good correspondence with bacterial phenotypes, and it will be a tremendously useful approach for elucidating inter-subtyping during molecular epidemiological investigations while interpreting the divergent evolution of Cronobacter. The presence of Cronobacter spp. in meat and meat product is a potential threat to human public health.
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27
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Aly MA, Domig KJ, Kneifel W, Reimhult E. Whole Genome Sequencing-Based Comparison of Food Isolates of Cronobacter sakazakii. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1464. [PMID: 31333604 PMCID: PMC6615433 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is an emerging foodborne pathogen, which is linked to life-threatening infections causing septicemia, meningitis, and necrotizing enterocolitis. These infections have been epidemiologically connected to ingestion of contaminated reconstituted powder infant formula. Even at low water activity C. sakazakii can survive for a long time; it is capable of protective biofilm formation and occasionally shows high virulence and pathogenicity even following stressful environmental conditions. Hence it is a challenging task for the food industry to control contamination of food ingredients and products through the entire production chain, since an increasing number of severe food-related outbreaks of C. sakazakii infections has been observed. The seemingly great capability of C. sakazakii to survive even strict countermeasures combined with its prevalence in many food ingredients requires a greater in depth understanding of its virulence factors to master the food safety issues related to this organism. In this context, we present the whole genome sequence (WGS) of two different C. sakazakii isolated from skimmed milk powder (C7) and ready-to-eat salad mix (C8), respectively. These are compared to other, already sequenced, C. sakazakii genomes. Sequencing of the fusA allele revealed that both isolates were C. sakazakii. We investigated the molecular characteristics of both isolates relevant for genes associated with pathogenesis and virulence factors, resistance to stressful environmental conditions (e.g., osmotic and heat), survival in desiccation as well as conducted a comparative genomic analysis. By using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), the genetic type of both isolates is assessed and the number of unique genes is determined. DNA of C. sakazakii C8 is shown to hold a novel and unique sequence type; the number of unique genes identified in the genomic sequence of C. sakazakii C7 and C8 were 109 and 188, respectively. Some of the determined unique genes such as the rhs and VgrG genes are linked to the Type VI Secretion System cluster, which is associated with pathogenicity and virulence factors. Moreover, seven genes encoding for multi-drug resistance were found in both isolates. The finding of a number of genes linked to producing capsules and biofilm are likely related to the observed resistance to desiccation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A Aly
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Institute for Biologically Inspired Materials, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria.,Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Konrad J Domig
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Kneifel
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Erik Reimhult
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Institute for Biologically Inspired Materials, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
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28
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Li C, Zeng H, Zhang J, He W, Ling N, Chen M, Wu S, Lei T, Wu H, Ye Y, Ding Y, Wang J, Wei X, Zhang Y, Wu Q. Prevalence, Antibiotic Susceptibility, and Molecular Characterization of Cronobacter spp. Isolated From Edible Mushrooms in China. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:283. [PMID: 30863374 PMCID: PMC6399401 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are foodborne pathogens that can infect and cause life-threatening diseases in all age groups, particularly in infants and immunocompromised elderly. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility, and molecular characteristics of Cronobacter spp. isolates in edible mushrooms collected from 44 cities in China. In total, 668 edible mushrooms were collected from traditional retail markets and supermarkets and were analyzed by quantitative methods, PCR-based serotyping, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Among the 668 samples tested, 89 (13.32%) were positive for Cronobacter spp., and the contamination levels exceeded the 110 most probable number (MPN)/g in 13.48% (12/89) of the samples. Flammulina velutipes samples had the highest contamination rate of 17.54% (37/211), whereas Hypsizygus marmoreus samples had the lowest contamination rate of 3.28% (2/61). Ten serotypes were identified among 115 isolates, of which the C. sakazakii serogroup O1 (n = 32) was the primary serotype. MLST indicated that there was quite high genetic diversity in Cronobacter spp. and 72 sequence types were identified, 17 of which were new. Notably, C. sakazakii ST148 (n = 10) was the most prevalent, followed by C. malonaticus ST7 (n = 5). Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed that the majority of Cronobacter spp. strains were susceptible to the 16 antibiotics tested. However, a portion of isolates exhibited relatively high resistance to cephalothin, with resistance and intermediate rates of 93.91 and 6.09%, respectively. One isolate (cro300A) was multidrug-resistant, with resistance to five antibiotics. Overall, this large-scale study revealed the relatively high prevalence and high genetic diversity of Cronobacter spp. on edible mushrooms in China, indicating a potential public health concern. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale and systematic study on the prevalence of Cronobacter spp. on edible mushrooms in China, and the findings can provide valuable information that can guide the establishment of effective measures for the control and precaution of Cronobacter spp on edible mushrooms during production processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengsi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjing He
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Moutong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haoming Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingwang Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianhu Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youxiong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
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Du XJ, Wang XY, Dong X, Li P, Wang S. Characterization of the Desiccation Tolerance of Cronobacter sakazakii Strains. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2867. [PMID: 30542333 PMCID: PMC6278591 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Strong desiccation tolerance is an outstanding feature of Cronobacter sakazakii and can enable the bacterium to survive in a dry food matrix (such as milk powder) for a long time. Therefore, contamination of food possessing low water activity with C. sakazakii can increase the risk of infection in human beings, particularly in neonates and infants. However, the mechanism underlying the desiccation tolerance property of C. sakazakii is largely unknown. In this study, the desiccation tolerance characteristics of 42 C. sakazakii strains were analyzed. Simultaneously, the sequence types and biofilm formation abilities of the strains were investigated, and their correlations with desiccation tolerance were analyzed. The results showed no significant correlation between desiccation tolerance and sequence type. However, there was a positive correlation between biofilm formation ability and desiccation tolerance. Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the biofilm formed by strains with distinct desiccation tolerance levels, and the results showed that the levels of polysaccharide, proteins and carotenoid might play important roles in the resistance to dry environments. In addition, 10 genes involved in osmoprotectant synthesis or transport were selected, and their differential expression in strains with diverse desiccation tolerance levels was compared to investigate whether these genes were responsible for cytoprotection in the dry environment. The results revealed a great difference in gene expression among strains with different desiccation tolerance levels, suggesting that these genes play a regulatory role in the resistance of C. sakazakii to dry environments. Our study provides a useful reference for follow-up studies investigating the mechanism of desiccation tolerance in C. sakazakii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Jun Du
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiao-Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuan Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Science and Health, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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Parra-Flores J, Aguirre J, Juneja V, Jackson EE, Cruz-Córdova A, Silva-Sanchez J, Forsythe S. Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Cronobacter sakazakii and Enterobacter spp. Involved in the Diarrheic Hemorrhagic Outbreak in Mexico. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2206. [PMID: 30319560 PMCID: PMC6171480 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are bacterial pathogens that cause neonatal meningitis, septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis in infants with a lethality rate of 40–80%. Powdered infant formulas (PIF) have been implicated as the main vehicles of transmission. This pathogen can also cause infection through contaminated expressed breast milk, and it has been recovered from neonatal feeding tubes of neonates not fed reconstituted PIF and milk kitchen areas. This study analyzed antibiotic resistance profiles and the tissue virulence tests of Cronobacter sakazakii and Enterobacter spp. recovered from PIF, infant fecal matter‘s, and milk kitchen environment involved in a diarrheic hemorrhagic outbreak in 2011 in Mexico. The strains isolated from the outbreak had similar antibiotic resistance profiles and pathogenicity irrespective of isolation site, however, C. sakazakii strains isolated from PIF showed significantly higher invasive profiles than Enterobacter spp. (p = 0.001) and 83% were resistant to more than one antibiotic. The findings of this study can be used to complement existing information to better control Cronobacter and Enterobacter spp. contamination in PIF production, prevent its transmission, and improve infant food safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Parra-Flores
- Departamento de Nutrición y Salud Pública, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud y de los Alimentos, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Juan Aguirre
- Departamento Agroindustria y Enología, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vijay Juneja
- Residue Chemistry and Predictive Microbiology Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wyndmoor, PA, United States
| | - Emily E Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Ariadnna Cruz-Córdova
- Laboratorio de Bacteriología Intestinal, Hospital Infantil de México, Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jesus Silva-Sanchez
- Grupo de Resistencia Bacteriana, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
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Abstract
Despite the ever increase in rigorous control and monitoring measures to assure safe food along the entire farm‐to‐fork chain, the past decade has also witnessed an increase in microbial food alerts. Hence, research on food safety and quality remain of utmost importance. Complementary, and at least as important, is the necessity to be able to assess the potential microbial risks along the food chain. Risk assessment relies on sound scientific data. Unfortunately, often, quality data are limited if not lacking. High‐throughput tools such as next‐generation sequencing (NGS) could fill this gap. NGS approaches can be used to generate ample qualitative and quantitative data to be used in the risk assessment process. NGS applications are not new in food microbiology with applications ranging from pathogen detection along the food chain, food epidemiology studies, whole genome analysis of food‐associated microorganisms up to describing complete food microbiomes. Yet, its application in the area of microbial risk assessment is still at an early stage and faces important challenges. The possibilities of NGS for risk assessment are ample, but so are the questions on the subject. One of the major strengths of NGS lies in its capacity to generate a lot of data, but to what extend can this wealth be of use in hazard identification, hazard characterisation and exposure assessment to perform a sound risk characterisation, which in turn will make it possible to take substantiated risk management decisions.
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Ling N, Li C, Zhang J, Wu Q, Zeng H, He W, Ye Y, Wang J, Ding Y, Chen M, Xue L, Ye Q, Guo W. Prevalence and Molecular and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Cronobacter spp. Isolated From Raw Vegetables in China. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1149. [PMID: 29922254 PMCID: PMC5996200 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. is a foodborne pathogen that causes life-threatening and invasive diseases, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, meningitis, and sepsis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, molecular characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of Cronobacter spp. in raw vegetables marketed in China. Based on dietary habits in China, 403 raw vegetables that could be eaten without additional cooking were collected. Of the 403 samples tested, 122 (30.27%) were positive for Cronobacter spp., and the contamination levels exceeded 110 most probable number (MPN)/g for 16.39% (20/122) of the samples. Coriander samples had the highest contamination rate of 52.81%, and the MPN values of 19.15% of positive coriander samples exceeded 100 MPN/g. Eleven serotypes were identified among 171 isolates, with Cronobacter sakazakii serogroup O1 (41 isolates) being the dominant serotype. Molecular characterization indicated that there was quite high genetic diversity in Cronobacter spp., and multilocus sequence typing analyses yielded 106 sequence types (STs), 55 of which were newly identified. Notably, the most prevalent ST (eight isolates) was C. malonaticus ST60, which appeared in a recent clinical infectious disease study in China. Five C. sakazakii ST4, seven C. malonaticus ST7, and three C. sakazakii ST8 confirmed as pathogenic STs in other countries were also detected in this study. Furthermore, all isolates were susceptible to amikacin, amoxicillin-clavulanic, cefepime, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem, but some isolates exhibited a high ratio of resistance to cephalothin (59.65%). In this study, the high contamination rate and the detection of pathogenic and new STs in raw vegetables indicated potential hazards to customers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to provide valuable information on the contamination status of Cronobacter spp. in vegetables that can be eaten raw in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Ling
- School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengsi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingping Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjing He
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingwang Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Moutong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qinghua Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weipeng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China
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Lehner A, Tall BD, Fanning S, Srikumar S. Cronobacter spp.—Opportunistic Foodborne Pathogens: an Update on Evolution, Osmotic Adaptation and Pathogenesis. CURRENT CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40588-018-0089-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Ogrodzki P, Forsythe SJ. DNA-Sequence Based Typing of the Cronobacter Genus Using MLST, CRISPR- cas Array and Capsular Profiling. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1875. [PMID: 29033918 PMCID: PMC5626840 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cronobacter genus is composed of seven species, within which a number of pathovars have been described. The most notable infections by Cronobacter spp. are of infants through the consumption of contaminated infant formula. The description of the genus has greatly improved in recent years through DNA sequencing techniques, and this has led to a robust means of identification. However some species are highly clonal and this limits the ability to discriminate between unrelated strains by some methods of genotyping. This article updates the application of three genotyping methods across the Cronobacter genus. The three genotyping methods were multilocus sequence typing (MLST), capsular profiling of the K-antigen and colanic acid (CA) biosynthesis regions, and CRISPR-cas array profiling. A total of 1654 MLST profiled and 286 whole genome sequenced strains, available by open access at the PubMLST Cronobacter database, were used this analysis. The predominance of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus in clinical infections was confirmed. The majority of clinical strains being in the C. sakazakii clonal complexes (CC) 1 and 4, sequence types (ST) 8 and 12 and C. malonaticus ST7. The capsular profile K2:CA2, previously proposed as being strongly associated with C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus isolates from severe neonatal infections, was also found in C. turicensis, C. dublinensis and C. universalis. The majority of CRISPR-cas types across the genus was the I-E (Ecoli) type. Some strains of C. dublinensis and C. muytjensii encoded the I-F (Ypseudo) type, and others lacked the cas gene loci. The significance of the expanding profiling will be of benefit to researchers as well as governmental and industrial risk assessors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Ogrodzki
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Comparative proteomic analysis of Cronobacter sakazakii by iTRAQ provides insights into response to desiccation. Food Res Int 2017; 100:631-639. [PMID: 28873731 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2017.06.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is a foodborne pathogen throughout the world and survives extremely desiccation stress. However, the molecular basis involved in desiccation resistance of C. sakazakii is still unknown. In this study, the potential desiccation resistance factors of C. sakazakii ATCC 29544 were determined using iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis. A total of 2775 proteins were identified by iTRAQ, of which 233 showed a different protein expression between control group and desiccation stress group. Among these 233 proteins identified as desiccation resistance proteins, there were 146 proteins downregulated and 87 proteins upregulated. According to the comprehensive proteome coverage analysis, C. sakazakii increased its resistance to desiccation by reducing the gene involved with unnecessary survival functions such as those used for virulence, adhesion, invasion and flagella assembly, while increasing gene expression of genes used in withstanding osmotic stress such as those genes involved in trehalose and betaine uptake. However, the mechanism involved in amino acid metabolism in an osmotic stress response, including the producing of γ-aminobutyric acid in C. sakazakii is still uncertain. This is the first report to determine the potential desiccation resistant factors of C. sakazakii at the proteomic levels.
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Chen Q, Li Y, Tao T, Bie X, Lu F, Lu Z. Development and application of a sensitive, rapid, and reliable immunomagnetic separation-PCR detection method for Cronobacter spp. J Dairy Sci 2017; 100:961-969. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-11087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Kim S, Kim YT, Yoon H, Lee JH, Ryu S. The complete genome sequence of Cronobacter sakazakii ATCC 29544 T, a food-borne pathogen, isolated from a child's throat. Gut Pathog 2017; 9:2. [PMID: 28053670 PMCID: PMC5209807 DOI: 10.1186/s13099-016-0150-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cronobacter sakazakii is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that is associated with rare but life-threatening cases of severe diseases: meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and sepsis in premature and full-term infants. However, the pathogenesis mechanism of this pathogen remains largely unknown. To determine its pathogenesis at the genomic level, the genome of C. sakazakii ATCC 29544T was completely sequenced and analyzed. Results The genomic DNA, containing a circular chromosome and three plasmids, is composed of 4,511,265 bp with a GC content of 56.71%, containing 4380 predicted open reading frames (ORFs), 22 rRNA genes, and 83 tRNA genes. The plasmids, designated pCSK29544_p1, pCSK29544_p2, and pCSK29544_p3, were 93,905-bp, 4938-bp, and 53,457-bp with GC contents of 57.02, 54.88, and 50.07%, respectively. They were also predicted to have 72, 6, and 57 ORFs without RNA genes. Conclusions The strain ATCC 29544T genome has ompA and ibeB-homologous cusC genes, probably associated with the invasion of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). In addition, gene clusters for siderophore production (iucABCD/iutA) and the related transport system (eitCBAD) were detected in pCSK29544_p1 plasmid, indicating better iron uptake ability for survival. Furthermore, to survive under extremely dry condition like milk powder, this genome has gene clusters for biosynthesis of capsular proteins (CSK29544_00281-00284) and cellulose (CSK29544_01124-01127) for biofilm formation and a gene cluster for utilization of sialic acid in the milk (nanKTAR). The genome information of C. sakazakii ATCC 29544T would provide further understanding of its pathogenesis at the molecular level for the regulation of pathogenicity and the development of a rapid detection method using biomarkers. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13099-016-0150-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seongok Kim
- Department of Food and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, 206 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499 Republic of Korea
| | - You-Tae Kim
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology and Institute of Life Science and Resources, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17104 Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjin Yoon
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, 206 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499 Republic of Korea
| | - Ju-Hoon Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology and Institute of Life Science and Resources, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17104 Republic of Korea
| | - Sangryeol Ryu
- Department of Food and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826 Republic of Korea
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Li X, Cui J, Du X, Cui Z, Huang Y, Kan B. Duplex Real-Time PCR Method for the Differentiation of Cronobacter sakazakii and Cronobacter malonaticus. J Food Prot 2017; 80:50-56. [PMID: 28221877 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-16-171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii and Cronobacter malonaticus are the most common species of Cronobacter , so it is necessary to detect the two species as soon as possible in surveillance programs. We developed a real-time PCR method for identifying C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus from the genus Cronobacter . In this study, the two pairs of primers and probes were designed, targeting 16S rRNA and fusA, respectively. The specificity of the real-time PCR assay was validated with 112 strains of Cronobacter , including 56 C. sakazakii , 32 C. malonaticus , 16 Cronobacter dublinensis , 6 Cronobacter turicensis , and 2 Cronobacter muytjensii . The results showed that C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus were all correctly identified, consistent with the results of another method by analyzing the clustering of the fusA sequence. The detection limit for pure culture was 102 CFU/ml and 103 CFU/g for artificially contaminated rehydrated powdered infant formula. Therefore, the developed real-time PCR was a rapid, sensitive, and reliable method for the identification of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus .
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Li
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention and State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinghua Cui
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention and State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Du
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention and State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Cui
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention and State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Yibing Huang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, People's Republic of China
| | - Biao Kan
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention and State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
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Chen Q, Tao T, Bie X, Lu F, Li Y, Lu Z. Characterization of a single-chain variable fragment specific to Cronobacter spp. from hybridoma based on outer membrane protein A. J Microbiol Methods 2016; 129:136-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Revised: 07/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Vlach J, Javůrková B, Karamonová L, Blažková M, Fukal L. Novel PCR-RFLP system based on rpoB gene for differentiation of Cronobacter species. Food Microbiol 2016; 62:1-8. [PMID: 27889135 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria from the genus Cronobacter are opportunistic foodborne pathogens that can cause severe infections. More rapid, cost-effective and reliable methods are still required for the species identification of Cronobacter spp. In this study, we present a novel PCR-RFLP-based method that uses a newly designed pair of primers for the PCR-amplification of a partial rpoB gene sequence (1635 bp). The amplified products of DNA from 80 Cronobacter strains were separately digested with three restriction endonucleases (Csp6I, HinP1I, MboI). Using the obtained restriction patterns, a PCR-RFLP identification system was created to enable differentiation between all seven currently-known Cronobacter species. The functionality of our method was successfully verified on real food samples. Moreover, the relationships between the Cronobacter species were determined via a phylogenetic tree created from the RFLP patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Vlach
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Barbora Javůrková
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ludmila Karamonová
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Blažková
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Ladislav Fukal
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
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Eshwar AK, Tall BD, Gangiredla J, Gopinath GR, Patel IR, Neuhauss SCF, Stephan R, Lehner A. Linking Genomo- and Pathotype: Exploiting the Zebrafish Embryo Model to Investigate the Divergent Virulence Potential among Cronobacter spp. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158428. [PMID: 27355472 PMCID: PMC4927158 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria belonging to the genus Cronobacter have been recognized as causative agents of life-threatening systemic infections primarily in premature, low-birth weight and immune-compromised neonates. Apparently not all Cronobacter species are linked to infantile infections and it has been proposed that virulence varies among strains. Whole genome comparisons and in silico analysis have proven to be powerful tools in elucidating potential virulence determinants, the presence/absence of which may explain the differential virulence behaviour of strains. However, validation of these factors has in the past been hampered by the availability of a suitable neonatal animal model. In the present study we have used zebrafish embryos to model Cronobacter infections in vivo using wild type and genetically engineered strains. Our experiments confirmed the role of the RepF1B-like plasmids as “virulence plasmids” in Cronobacter and underpinned the importantce of two putative virulence factors—cpa and zpx—in in vivo pathogenesis. We propose that by using this model in vivo infection studies are now possible on a large scale level which will boost the understanding on the virulence strategies employed by these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athmanya K. Eshwar
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ben D. Tall
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jayanthi Gangiredla
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Gopal R. Gopinath
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Isha R. Patel
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Angelika Lehner
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The Cronobacter group of pathogens, associated with severe and potentially life-threatening diseases, until recently were classified as a single species, Enterobacter sakazakii. The group was reclassified in 2007 into the genus Cronobacter as a member of the Enterobacteriaceae. This chapter outlines the history behind the epidemiology, analyzes how our understanding of these bacteria has evolved, and highlights the clinical significance the Cronobacter spp. have for neonatal and elderly patient populations and treatment of the associated infections.
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Shukla S, Lee G, Song X, Park S, Kim M. Immunoliposome-based immunomagnetic concentration and separation assay for rapid detection of Cronobacter sakazakii. Biosens Bioelectron 2016; 77:986-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2015.10.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Hu S, Yu Y, Li R, Wu X, Xiao X, Wu H. Rapid detection of Cronobacter sakazakii by real-time PCR based on the cgcA gene and TaqMan probe with internal amplification control. Can J Microbiol 2016; 62:191-200. [DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2015-0602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is a severe virulent strain that is frequently detected in powdered infant formula (PIF). Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fast and specific detection method. The specificity of our newly developed quantitative real-time PCR (qRT–PCR) was validated with DNA from 46 strains. Among them, 12 C. sakazakii strains were correctly amplified, whereas no positive florescent signal was observed from 34 nontarget controls. The detection limit of C. sakazakii was about 110 CFU/mL in broth and 1100 CFU/g in PIF. After enrichment in buffered peptone water for 6 h, our developed qRT–PCR assay could reliably detect C. sakazakii when the inoculation level was as low as 2 CFU/25 g (0.08 CFU/g) in PIF. The growth of C. sakazakii could be inhibited by the presence of Lactobacillus pentosus and Bacillus cereus, which used a longer enrichment period before the isolation was accomplished. However, at 5 and 50 CFU/25 g inoculation levels of C. sakazakii in the presence of 4 × 106 CFU L. pentosus/25 g or of 2 × 104 CFU B. cereus/25 g, the qRT–PCR assay could detect the presence of Cronobacter even though these artificially spiked samples were negative in culture. Therefore, our results indicated that the qRT–PCR assay could detect samples containing inhibitors and could avoid false negatives by using an internal amplification control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangfang Hu
- Research Center of Food Safety and Detection, College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510640, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yigang Yu
- Research Center of Food Safety and Detection, College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510640, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rong Li
- Zhongshan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Room 804, No. 2, Zhongshan 6th Road, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province 528403, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinwei Wu
- Department of Microbiology, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qide Road No. 2, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510440, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinglong Xiao
- Research Center of Food Safety and Detection, College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510640, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Wu
- Research Center of Food Safety and Detection, College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510640, People’s Republic of China
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Qiming C, Tingting T, Xiaomei B, Yingjian L, Fengxia L, Ligong Z, Zhaoxin L. Mining for sensitive and reliable species-specific primers for PCR for detection of Cronobacter sakazakii by a bioinformatics approach. J Dairy Sci 2016; 98:5091-101. [PMID: 26074237 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2015-9304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although several studies have reported PCR assays for distinguishing Cronobacter sakazakii from other species in the genus, reports regarding assay sensitivity and specificity, as well as applications for food testing, are lacking. Hence, the objective of this study was to develop a sensitive and reliable PCR-based method for detection of C. sakazakii by screening for specific target genes. The genome sequence of C. sakazakii in the GenBank database was compared with that of other organisms using BLAST. Thirty-eight DNA fragments unique to C. sakazakii were identified, and primers targeting these sequences were designed. Finally, 3 primer sets (CS14, CS21, and CS38) were found to be specific for C. sakazakii by PCR verification. The detection limit of PCR assays using the 3 pairs of primers was 1.35 pg/μL, 135 fg/μL, and 135 fg/μL, respectively, for genomic DNA, and 5.5×10(5), 5.5×10(3), 5.5×10(3) cfu/mL, respectively, using pure cultures of the bacteria, compared with 13.5 pg/μLand 5.5×10(5) cfu/mLfor primer set SpeCronsaka, which has been previously described. Cronobacter sakazakii were detected in artificially contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) by PCR using primer sets CS21 and CS38 after 8h of enrichment. The detection limit was 5.5×10(-1) cfu/10g of PIF. Thus, the PCR assay can be used for rapid and sensitive detection of C. sakazakii in PIF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Qiming
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Tingting
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Bie Xiaomei
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Yingjian
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park 20742
| | - Lu Fengxia
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhai Ligong
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Zhaoxin
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China.
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Ogrodzki P, Forsythe S. Capsular profiling of the Cronobacter genus and the association of specific Cronobacter sakazakii and C. malonaticus capsule types with neonatal meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:758. [PMID: 26449318 PMCID: PMC4599207 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1960-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cronobacter sakazakii and C. malonaticus can cause serious diseases especially in infants where they are associated with rare but fatal neonatal infections such as meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. Methods This study used 104 whole genome sequenced strains, covering all seven species in the genus, to analyse capsule associated clusters of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the O-antigen, colanic acid, bacterial cellulose, enterobacterial common antigen (ECA), and a previously uncharacterised K-antigen. Results Phylogeny of the gnd and galF genes flanking the O-antigen region enabled the defining of 38 subgroups which are potential serotypes. Two variants of the colanic acid synthesis gene cluster (CA1 and CA2) were found which differed with the absence of galE in CA2. Cellulose (bcs genes) were present in all species, but were absent in C. sakazakii sequence type (ST) 13 and clonal complex (CC) 100 strains. The ECA locus was found in all strains. The K-antigen capsular polysaccharide Region 1 (kpsEDCS) and Region 3 (kpsMT) genes were found in all Cronobacter strains. The highly variable Region 2 genes were assigned to 2 homology groups (K1 and K2). C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus isolates with capsular type [K2:CA2:Cell+] were associated with neonatal meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Other capsular types were less associated with clinical infections. Conclusion This study proposes a new capsular typing scheme which identifies a possible important virulence trait associated with severe neonatal infections. The various capsular polysaccharide structures warrant further investigation as they could be relevant to macrophage survival, desiccation resistance, environmental survival, and biofilm formation in the hospital environment, including neonatal enteral feeding tubes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1960-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Ogrodzki
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, NG11 8NS, Nottingham, UK
| | - S Forsythe
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, NG11 8NS, Nottingham, UK.
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Yan Q, Wang J, Gangiredla J, Cao Y, Martins M, Gopinath GR, Stephan R, Lampel K, Tall BD, Fanning S. Comparative Genotypic and Phenotypic Analysis of Cronobacter Species Cultured from Four Powdered Infant Formula Production Facilities: Indication of Pathoadaptation along the Food Chain. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 81:4388-402. [PMID: 25911470 PMCID: PMC4475896 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00359-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter species are opportunistic pathogens commonly found in the environment. Among the seven Cronobacter species, Cronobacter sakazakii sequence type 4 (ST-4) is predominantly associated with recorded cases of infantile meningitis. This study reports on a 26-month powdered infant formula (PIF) surveillance program in four production facilities located in distinct geographic regions. The objective was to identify the ST(s) in PIF production environments and to investigate the phenotypic features that support their survival. Of all 168 Cronobacter isolates, 133 were recovered from a PIF production environment, 31 were of clinical origin, and 4 were laboratory type strains. Sequence type 1 (n = 84 isolates; 63.9%) was the dominant type in PIF production environments. The majority of these isolates clustered with an indistinguishable pulsotype and persisted for at least an 18-month period. Moreover, DNA microarray results identified two phylogenetic lineages among ST-4 strains tested. Thereafter, the ST-1 and -4 isolates were phenotypically compared. Differences were noted based on the phenotypes expressed by these isolates. The ST-1 PIF isolates produced stronger biofilms at both 28°C and 37°C, while the ST-4 clinical isolates exhibited greater swimming activity and increased binding to Congo red dye. Given the fact that PIF is a low-moisture environment and that the clinical environment provides for an interaction between the pathogen and its host, these differences may be consistent with a form of pathoadaptation. These findings help to extend our current understanding of the epidemiology and ecology of Cronobacter species in PIF production environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiongqiong Yan
- UCD Centre for Food Safety, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Reference & Training on Cronobacter, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Juan Wang
- UCD Centre for Food Safety, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Reference & Training on Cronobacter, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jayanthi Gangiredla
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, OARSA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Yu Cao
- UCD Centre for Food Safety, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Reference & Training on Cronobacter, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Marta Martins
- UCD Centre for Food Safety, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Reference & Training on Cronobacter, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gopal R Gopinath
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, OARSA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Keith Lampel
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, OARSA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Ben D Tall
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, OARSA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Séamus Fanning
- UCD Centre for Food Safety, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Reference & Training on Cronobacter, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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Killer J, Skřivanová E, Hochel I, Marounek M. Multilocus Sequence Typing of Cronobacter Strains Isolated from Retail Foods and Environmental Samples. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2015; 12:514-21. [DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2014.1884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Killer
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Microbiology, Nutrition, and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Skřivanová
- Department of Microbiology, Nutrition, and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Igor Hochel
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Marounek
- Department of Microbiology, Nutrition, and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic
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Alzahrani H, Winter J, Boocock D, De Girolamo L, Forsythe SJ. Characterization of outer membrane vesicles from a neonatal meningitic strain of Cronobacter sakazakii. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2015; 362:fnv085. [PMID: 26023200 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnv085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is associated with severe and often fatal cases of infant meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. The form of meningitis differs from that due to Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus spp., in that it is highly invasive and destructive towards human brain cells. However, there is relatively little understanding of the cytopathogenic interaction of C. sakazakii with host cells which results in stimulation of an inflammatory immune response. The production of Cronobacter outer membrane vesicles (OMV) and their potential pathogenic functions have not yet been elucidated. This study is the first to show that C. sakazakii produce OMV, which may play a role in the activation of cytopathogenic and host cell responses on human intestinal epithelial cells. Cronobacter sakazakii strain 767 was used which had been isolated from a fatal outbreak of neonatal meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Cronobacter sakazakii OMV were internalized by Caco-2 cells, increased cell proliferation and stimulated the host's innate proinflammatory response without inducing overt toxicity. A total of 18 OMV-associated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and their potential pathogenicity roles were evaluated. Collectively, these data indicate that C. sakazakii OMV could play a role in pathogenesis by delivering bacterial toxins into host epithelial cells, driving proliferative and proinflammatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayat Alzahrani
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Jody Winter
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - David Boocock
- John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Luigi De Girolamo
- Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Stephen J Forsythe
- Pathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
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