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Mather AE, Gilmour MW, Reid SWJ, French NP. Foodborne bacterial pathogens: genome-based approaches for enduring and emerging threats in a complex and changing world. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:543-555. [PMID: 38789668 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01051-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Foodborne illnesses pose a substantial health and economic burden, presenting challenges in prevention due to the diverse microbial hazards that can enter and spread within food systems. Various factors, including natural, political and commercial drivers, influence food production and distribution. The risks of foodborne illness will continue to evolve in step with these drivers and with changes to food systems. For example, climate impacts on water availability for agriculture, changes in food sustainability targets and evolving customer preferences can all have an impact on the ecology of foodborne pathogens and the agrifood niches that can carry microorganisms. Whole-genome and metagenome sequencing, combined with microbial surveillance schemes and insights from the food system, can provide authorities and businesses with transformative information to address risks and implement new food safety interventions across the food chain. In this Review, we describe how genome-based approaches have advanced our understanding of the evolution and spread of enduring bacterial foodborne hazards as well as their role in identifying emerging foodborne hazards. Furthermore, foodborne hazards exist in complex microbial communities across the entire food chain, and consideration of these co-existing organisms is essential to understanding the entire ecology supporting pathogen persistence and transmission in an evolving food system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Mather
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK.
- University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
| | - Matthew W Gilmour
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK
- University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Nigel P French
- Tāuwharau Ora, School of Veterinary Science, Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University, Papaioea, Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand
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Williamson CHD, Vazquez AJ, Nunnally AE, Kyger K, Fofanov VY, Furstenau TN, Hornstra HM, Terriquez J, Keim P, Sahl JW. ColiSeq: a multiplex amplicon assay that provides strain level resolution of Escherichia coli directly from clinical specimens. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0413923. [PMID: 38651881 PMCID: PMC11237721 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04139-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli is a diverse pathogen, causing a range of disease in humans, from self-limiting diarrhea to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the most frequently observed uropathogen in UTIs, a common disease in high-income countries, incurring billions of dollars yearly in treatment costs. Although E. coli is easily grown and identified in the clinical laboratory, genotyping the pathogen is more complicated, yet critical for reducing the incidence of disease. These goals can be achieved through whole-genome sequencing of E. coli isolates, but this approach is relatively slow and typically requires culturing the pathogen in the laboratory. To genotype E. coli rapidly and inexpensively directly from clinical samples, including but not limited to urine, we developed and validated a multiplex amplicon sequencing assay, called ColiSeq. The assay consists of targets designed for E. coli species confirmation, high resolution genotyping, and mixture deconvolution. To demonstrate its utility, we screened the ColiSeq assay against 230 clinical urine samples collected from a hospital system in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. A limit of detection analysis demonstrated the ability of ColiSeq to identify E. coli at a concentration of ~2 genomic equivalent (GEs)/mL and to generate high-resolution genotyping at a concentration of 1 × 105 GEs/mL. The results of this study suggest that ColiSeq could be a valuable method to understand the source of UPEC strains and guide infection mitigation efforts. As sequence-based diagnostics become accepted in the clinical laboratory, workflows such as ColiSeq will provide actionable information to improve patient outcomes.IMPORTANCEUrinary tract infections (UTIs), caused primarily by Escherichia coli, create an enormous health care burden in the United States and other high-income countries. The early detection of E. coli from clinical samples, including urine, is important to target therapy and prevent further patient complications. Additionally, understanding the source of E. coli exposure will help with future mitigation efforts. In this study, we developed, tested, and validated an amplicon sequencing assay focused on direct detection of E. coli from urine. The resulting sequence data were demonstrated to provide strain level resolution of the pathogen, not only confirming the presence of E. coli, which can focus treatment efforts, but also providing data needed for source attribution and contact tracing. This assay will generate inexpensive, rapid, and reproducible data that can be deployed by public health agencies to track, diagnose, and potentially mitigate future UTIs caused by E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam J. Vazquez
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Amalee E. Nunnally
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Kristen Kyger
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Viacheslav Y. Fofanov
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Tara N. Furstenau
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Heidie M. Hornstra
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Paul Keim
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Jason W. Sahl
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Zhang R, Yang T, Zhang Q, Liu D, Elhadidy M, Ding T. Whole-genome sequencing: a perspective on sensing bacterial risk for food safety. Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Guillier L, Palma F, Fritsch L. Taking account of genomics in quantitative microbial risk assessment: what methods? what issues? Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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