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Ben Saïd L, Diancourt L, Rabeau A, Gallet V, Delvallez G, Grare M. Binary Enterotoxin Producing Clostridium perfringens Isolated in Blood Cultures: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1095. [PMID: 38930477 PMCID: PMC11205559 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12061095] [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: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is an anaerobic, spore-forming Gram-positive rod responsible for necrotizing gangrene, bacteremia in patients with cancer or gastrointestinal tract infection. C. perfringens virulence is due in large part to toxin production. In 2014, a new enterotoxin, BEC (binary enterotoxin of Clostridium perfringens) encoded by becA and becB genes, distinct from enterotoxin (CPE) encoded by the cpe gene, has been described. BEC-producing strains can be causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in humans. We present herein the case of a 64-year-old man who presented to the emergency department of Toulouse University Hospital with pneumonia and septic shock, without digestive symptoms. Blood cultures showed C. perfringens bacteremia and despite appropriate antibiotic treatment the patient passed away 7 h after admission. The characterization of the strain by whole genome sequencing revealed the presence of typical genes of C. perfringens: plc gene (alpha-toxin, phospholipase C) and pfoA (theta-toxin, perfringolysine). Surprisingly, this strain also harbored becA and becB genes encoding the recently described BEC toxin. Interestingly, alpha-toxin typing of our isolate and other published BEC isolates showed that they belonged to different PLC subtypes, confirming the high genetic diversity of these strains. To our knowledge, it is the first clinical case reporting bacteremia due to a BEC-producing C. perfringens isolate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ben Saïd
- Department of Microbiology, Toulouse University Hospital, 31059 Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Diancourt
- National Reference Center for Anaerobic Bacteria and Botulism, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France (G.D.)
| | - Audrey Rabeau
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Toulouse University Hospital, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Virginie Gallet
- Department of Microbiology, Toulouse University Hospital, 31059 Toulouse, France
| | - Gauthier Delvallez
- National Reference Center for Anaerobic Bacteria and Botulism, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France (G.D.)
| | - Marion Grare
- Department of Microbiology, Toulouse University Hospital, 31059 Toulouse, France
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Alimolaei M, Afzali S. Prevalence of Clostridium perfringens toxinotypes in antibiotic-associated diarrheal (AAD) patients in Iranian hospitals; can toxinotype D serve as a possible zoonotic agent for humans? Acta Trop 2023; 247:107002. [PMID: 37597720 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107002] [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] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
While Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) toxinotype F is known as the cause of 15% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and sporadic diarrhea (SD) cases, the association of the other C. perfringens toxinotypes with AAD/SD is not investigated. Therefore, the incidence of C. perfringens-associated diarrhea was investigated in hospitalized patients in six Iranian hospitals. A total of 151 stool specimens from AAD/SD patients were investigated for C. perfringens strains and the isolates were analyzed for the major (cpa, cpb, etx, and iap) and minor (cpe, cpb2, netb, PFO, and tpeL) toxin genes by PCR. C. perfringens isolation ratio was 28.5% (43 of 151 patients). C. perfringens isolation rates were not significant between different gender and age groups (p > 0.05), whereas it was significant between different wards and hospitals (p < 0.01). The cpa gene was detected in all C. perfringens isolates (n = 116). After that, the highest prevalence belonged to tpeL (87.1%), followed by pfo (84.5%), cpb2 (69.8%), cpe (55.2%), etx (12.9%), and netb (1.7%) genes. Based on these gene profiles, 35 (30.2%), 64 (55.2%), 15 (12.9%), and two (1.7%) isolates belonged to toxinotypes A, F, D, and G, respectively, and the other toxinotypes were not detected. This study persists in considering toxinotype F in Iranian AAD patients as it was the dominant C. perfringens toxinotype. Remarkably, the isolation of toxinotype D suggests it as a potential trigger in C. perfringens-associated AAD for the first time and highlights it as a possible zoonotic agent for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Alimolaei
- Research and Development Department, Kerman branch, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Kerman, Iran; Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
| | - Sadegh Afzali
- Research and Development Department, Kerman branch, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Kerman, Iran
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Alimolaei M, Ezatkhah M, Soltani S. Toxin genotypes of Clostridium perfringens isolates from common quail (Coturnix coturnix) with or without acute necrotic enteritis. Toxicon 2022; 221:106984. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.106984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Ueda K, Kawahara K, Kimoto N, Yamaguchi Y, Yamada K, Oki H, Yoshida T, Matsuda S, Matsumoto Y, Motooka D, Kawatsu K, Iida T, Nakamura S, Ohkubo T, Yonogi S. Analysis of the complete genome sequences of Clostridium perfringens strains harbouring the binary enterotoxin BEC gene and comparative genomics of pCP13-like family plasmids. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:226. [PMID: 35321661 PMCID: PMC8941779 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08453-4] [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: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background BEC-producing Clostridium perfringens is a causative agent of foodborne gastroenteritis. It was first reported in 2014, and since then, several isolates have been identified in Japan and the United Kingdom. The novel binary ADP-ribosylating toxin BEC, which consists of two components (BECa and BECb), is encoded on a plasmid that is similar to pCP13 and harbours a conjugation locus, called Pcp, encoding homologous proteins of the type 4 secretion system. Despite the high in vitro conjugation frequency of pCP13, its dissemination and that of related plasmids, including bec-harbouring plasmids, in the natural environment have not been characterised. This lack of knowledge has limited our understanding of the genomic epidemiology of bec-harbouring C. perfringens strains. Results In this study, we determined the complete genome sequences of five bec-harbouring C. perfringens strains isolated from 2009 to 2019. Each isolate contains a ~ 3.36 Mbp chromosome and 1–3 plasmids of either the pCW3-like family, pCP13-like family, or an unknown family, and the bec-encoding region in all five isolates was located on a ~ 54 kbp pCP13-like plasmid. Phylogenetic and SNP analyses of these complete genome sequences and the 211 assembled C. perfringens genomes in GenBank showed that although these bec-harbouring strains were split into two phylogenetic clades, the sequences of the bec-encoding plasmids were nearly identical (>99.81%), with a significantly smaller SNP accumulation rate than that of their chromosomes. Given that the Pcp locus is conserved in these pCP13-like plasmids, we propose a mechanism in which the plasmids were disseminated by horizontal gene transfer. Data mining showed that strains carrying pCP13-like family plasmids were unexpectedly common (58/216 strains) and widely disseminated among the various C. perfringens clades. Although these plasmids possess a conserved Pcp locus, their ‘accessory regions’ can accommodate a wide variety of genes, including virulence-associated genes, such as becA/becB and cbp2. These results suggest that this family of plasmids can integrate various foreign genes and is transmissible among C. perfringens strains. Conclusion This study demonstrates the potential significance of pCP13-like plasmids, including bec-encoding plasmids, for the characterisation and monitoring of the dissemination of pathogenic C. perfringens strains. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08453-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kengo Ueda
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kazuki Kawahara
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Narumi Kimoto
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yusuke Yamaguchi
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Yamada
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, Aichi Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 7-6 Nagare, Tsujicho, Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 462-8576, Japan
| | - Hiroya Oki
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takuya Yoshida
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shigeaki Matsuda
- Department of Bacterial Infection, Research Institute for Microbial Disease (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yuki Matsumoto
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kentaro Kawatsu
- Division of Microbiology, Osaka Institute of Public Health, 1-3-69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka, Osaka, 537-0025, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Iida
- Department of Bacterial Infection, Research Institute for Microbial Disease (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shota Nakamura
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tadayasu Ohkubo
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Shinya Yonogi
- Department of Bacterial Infection, Research Institute for Microbial Disease (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. .,Division of Microbiology, Osaka Institute of Public Health, 1-3-69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka, Osaka, 537-0025, Japan.
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Wang B, Dong W, Ma L, Dong Y, Wang S, Yuan Y, Ma Q, Xu J, Yan W, Nan J, Zhang Q, Xu W, Ma B, Chu Y, Zhang J, Li L, Li Y. Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Clostridium perfringens Isolates in Hospitalized Diarrheal Patients from Central China. Infect Drug Resist 2021; 14:4783-4793. [PMID: 34815676 PMCID: PMC8604644 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s338593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, genetic diversity and clinical characteristics of Clostridium perfringens isolates from hospitalized clinical diarrheal patients. Methods A prospective study was conducted on 1108 patients with diarrhea during hospitalization. Stool samples were cultured for C. perfringens, and the toxin genes were detected by PCR. The available clinical data of 112 patients were analyzed to study the clinical features of various isolates. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to assess phylogenetic relationship between different isolates. Results A total of 153 (13.8%) isolates were obtained from patients’ stools. C. perfringens type F (49.0%) was the major toxin type in the isolates, followed by type A (n = 59, 38.6%) and type C (n = 14, 9.2%). Patients older than 50 years and those with underlying diseases of cancer, hepatobiliary system, and ulcerative colitis (UC) were more predisposed to C. perfringens type F and type A infection than to type C. The patients infected with type C experienced more severe clinical symptoms compared to those with type A infection. There was a significant association between type FC and foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) diseases (p = 0.018), between type FP and antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) (p < 0.001), and between type A and sporadic diarrhea (SD) (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that type F isolates carrying a chromosomal cpe gene mainly belonged to ST77 (6/15 isolates). Type F isolates with cpe gene on a plasmid exhibited high genetic diversity. Conclusion High prevalence and considerable genetic diversity of C. perfringens type F were found in clinical diarrheal patients. Elderly people and patients with cancer, hepatobiliary diseases or UC, or suspected of having food poisoning (FP) may be targeted for routine testing of C. perfringens toxin genes and may benefit from early detection of C. perfringens type C isolates that cause more severe clinical symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoya Wang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjuan Dong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Xicheng District Pingan Hospital, Beijing, 100035, People's Republic of China
| | - Liyan Ma
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Yonghui Dong
- Department of Osteology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanmei Wang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Youhua Yuan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiong Ma
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Junhong Xu
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjuan Yan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Nan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbo Xu
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Bing Ma
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yafei Chu
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangfeng Zhang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Li
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
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Clonal diversity of Clostridium perfringens human clinical isolates with various toxin gene profiles based on multilocus sequence typing and alpha-toxin (PLC) typing. Anaerobe 2021; 72:102473. [PMID: 34743038 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2021.102473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Clostridium perfringens is a common anaerobic pathogen causing enteritis/enterocolitis and wound infections in humans. We analyzed clonal diversity and toxin gene prevalence in C. perfringens clinical isolates from humans in northern Japan. METHODS Prevalence of nine toxin genes was analyzed for 585 C. perfringens isolates from patients collected for 20-month period between May 2019 and December 2020 by molecular methods. Sequence type (ST) based on multilocus sequence typing (Xiao's scheme) and alpha-toxin (PLC) sequence type were determined for a total of 124 isolates selected in the present study along with those in our previous study (2017-2018). RESULTS Toxinotypes A (68.2%) was the most frequent, followed by F (31.6%), and G (0.2%), while additional toxin genes encoding binary enterotoxin (BEC/CPILE) and beta2 toxin were identified in one and six isolates, respectively. Among the 124 isolates with various toxin gene profiles, 62 STs including 53 novel types were identified, revealing the presence of six clonal complexes (CCs) consisting of 27 STs. Most of enterotoxin gene (cpe)-positive isolates belonged to CC36, CC41, and CC117. Based on 22 key amino acids in alpha toxin sequence, four PLC types (I-IV) including 21 subtypes were classified, and their relation to individual STs/CCs was clarified. Two isolates harboring bec/cpile belonged to different STs (ST95, ST131) and PLC types (If, IVb), indicating distribution of this toxin gene to distinct lineages. CONCLUSIONS The present study revealed the diversity in C. perfringens clones of human origin with various toxin gene profiles represented by ST/CC and PLC type.
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Isolation of Alpha-Toxin-Deficient Clostridium perfringens Type F from Sewage Influents and Effluents. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0021421. [PMID: 34259541 PMCID: PMC8552768 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00214-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is classified into types A to G, and all types produce alpha-toxins; however, C. perfringens type F that is negative for phospholipase C (PLC) activity of alpha-toxin has been isolated from the environment and cases of humans afflicted by food poisoning. This study aimed to elucidate the distribution of PLC-negative C. perfringens type F in sewage influents and effluents. Influents and effluents of two wastewater treatment plants were collected monthly between July 2016 and January 2020 and between August 2018 and January 2020, respectively. Isolation rates of PLC-negative C. perfringens type F from sewage influents and effluents were 38% (33/86) and 22% (8/36), and the numbers of isolates were 43 and 13, respectively. The locus of the enterotoxin gene of all isolates was determined to be in a plasmid with an IS1151 sequence, and multilocus sequence typing revealed that all 17 representative isolates were assigned as sequence type 186. Sequencing of the plc gene of these representative isolates showed that nonsense mutation (p.W98*) causing alpha-toxin deficiency should be responsible for a loss of PLC enzymatic activity. These results suggest that alpha toxin-deficient C. perfringens type F is distributed in living and water environments since sewage influents contain community wastewater, and effluents contaminate the environment. Detection of C. perfringens type F, independent of PLC activity, should be carried out on human and environmental samples. IMPORTANCE Understanding the diversity of biochemical characteristics that may affect the identification of bacteria is essential. C. perfringens is a ubiquitous bacterium found in the environment, humans, and animals and is responsible for infectious disease in the intestine. Although the alpha-toxin of C. perfringens may be used for its detection, variants of the alpha-toxin lacking its activity have been isolated from soil and humans experiencing symptoms of diarrhea. It is valuable to disclose the prevalence of the alpha-toxin variant in the sewage of wastewater treatment plants, as it may reflect the hygienic condition of the community, as it would be a pollution source for the environment. This study shows the persistent existence and genetic characteristics of the alpha-toxin variant in sewage and reveals a lacking mechanism of the alpha-toxin activity and proposes the detection method of C. perfringens, independent of the alpha-toxin activity.
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Geier RR, Rehberger TG, Smith AH. Comparative Genomics of Clostridium perfringens Reveals Patterns of Host-Associated Phylogenetic Clades and Virulence Factors. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:649953. [PMID: 34177831 PMCID: PMC8220089 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.649953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium that infects both animals and humans. Clostridium perfringens genomes encode a diverse array of toxins and virulence proteins, which continues to expand as more genomes are sequenced. In this study, the genomes of 44 C. perfringens strains isolated from intestinal sections of diseased cattle and from broiler chickens from diseased and healthy flocks were sequenced. These newly assembled genomes were compared to 141 publicly available C. perfringens genome assemblies, by aligning known toxin and virulence protein sequences in the assemblies using BLASTp. The genes for alpha toxin, collagenase, a sialidase (nanH), and alpha-clostripain were present in at least 99% of assemblies analyzed. In contrast, beta toxin, epsilon toxin, iota toxin, and binary enterotoxin of toxinotypes B, C, D, and E were present in less than 5% of assemblies analyzed. Additional sequence variants of beta2 toxin were detected, some of which were missing the leader or signal peptide sequences and therefore likely not secreted. Some pore-forming toxins involved in intestinal diseases were host-associated, the netB gene was only found in avian isolates, while netE, netF, and netG were only present in canine and equine isolates. Alveolysin was positively associated with canine and equine strains and only present in a single monophyletic clade. Strains from ruminant were not associated with known virulence factors and, except for the food poisoning associated clade, were present across the phylogenetic diversity identified to date for C. perfringens. Many C. perfringens strains associated with food poisoning lacked the genes for hyaluronidases and sialidases, important for attaching to and digesting complex carbohydrates found in animal tissues. Overall, the diversity of virulence factors in C. perfringens makes these species capable of causing disease in a wide variety of hosts and niches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alexandra H. Smith
- Arm and Hammer Animal and Food Production, Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Waukesha, WI, United States
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Alsaab F, Wahdan A, Saeed EMA. Phenotypic detection and genotyping of Clostridium perfringens associated with enterotoxemia in sheep in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia. Vet World 2021; 14:578-584. [PMID: 33935400 PMCID: PMC8076464 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.578-584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Enterotoxemia caused by Clostridium perfringens toxinotypes is an often fatal disease of sheep of all ages, with a substantial economic loss to the sheep industry. This study was conducted to isolate C. perfringens from suspected cases of enterotoxemia in sheep in the central part of the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia, and to determine the prevalent toxinotype by detecting alpha (cpA), beta (cpB), and epsilon (etX) toxin genes, which might help control this disease locally. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 93 rectal swabs and intestinal content samples were collected from diseased and animals suspected of having died of enterotoxemia in early 2020. Samples were subjected to bacteriological examination, biochemical analysis of isolates by VITEK 2, and molecular toxinotyping of isolates by LightCycler® real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS Our results revealed that only 14 isolates were confirmed by VITEK 2 as being C. perfringens, with excellent identification (probability of 95% and 97%). According to the toxinotyping of isolates by RT-PCR, all 14 isolates possessed both the cpA and etX toxin genes, while the cpB toxin gene was not detected in any of the isolates. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that C. perfringens type D was the only toxinotype found in the central part of the Qassim Region in 2020; moreover, according to the culture method, only 15% (14/93) of the suspected cases of enterotoxemia were confirmed to be caused by C. perfringens infection, which highlighted the importance of clinical and laboratory differential diagnosis of enterotoxemia in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fehaid Alsaab
- Veterinarian at Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Wahdan
- Department of Bacteriology, Immunology and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
| | - Elhassan M. A. Saeed
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khartoum University, Sudan
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Rich AF, Zendri F, Costa T, Timofte D, Drake GJ, Rowland H, Ashpole I, Moore A, Chantrey J. Nectarivorous Bird Emphysematous Ingluvitis (NBEI): A Novel Disease in Loriinae Birds Associated With Clostridium perfringens Infection. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:606112. [PMID: 33251274 PMCID: PMC7674492 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.606112] [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: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A retrospective study revealed ten cases of emphysematous ingluvitis in Loriinae birds from two zoological collections between 2009 and 2020. Common clinical features were sudden death with gas distention of the crop, subcutaneous cervical emphysema and poor body condition, but also included collapse, hypothermia and abandonment. Macroscopic examination revealed moderate crop enlargement, distention and thickening with minimal intraluminal content, and moderate to severe submucosal to transmural gas-filled cysts (emphysema). Histopathology identified widespread transmural multifocal to coalescing empty pseudo-cystic cavities with lytic necrosis, pyo-/granulomatous inflammatory infiltrates, epithelial ulceration, parakeratotic hyperkeratosis, epithelial ballooning degeneration, and occasional intralesional rod-shaped bacteria. The lesion may have impaired the birds' ability to ingest food, resulting in suboptimal body condition. Necrotizing to granulomatous aspiration pneumonia was also a feature in some cases. Anaerobic bacterial culture of four crops identified Clostridium perfringens with associated toxin genes for alpha and occasionally beta2 toxin (cpa and cpb2 genes respectively), by PCR analysis of bacterial isolates cultured from fresh or frozen tissue. C. perfringens was identified as the common etiological agent of emphysematous ingluvitis in crop and/or liver (six out of ten birds), and type A was confirmed in five birds. C. perfringens was not detected in the crop nor liver of two unaffected Loriinae birds. This is the first publication that characterizes nectarivorous bird emphysematous ingluvitis (NBEI), attributes C. perfringens as an etiological agent, and highlights this novel disease as an important cause of death in Loriinae birds, particularly in nestling and fledgling stage of development, but also in older lorikeets and lories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Rich
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom
| | - Flavia Zendri
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom
| | - Taiana Costa
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom
| | - Dorina Timofte
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom
| | - Gabby J Drake
- North of England Zoological Society (Chester Zoo), Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Rowland
- North of England Zoological Society (Chester Zoo), Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Ashpole
- North of England Zoological Society (Chester Zoo), Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Moore
- Oakhill Veterinary Centre, Goosnargh, United Kingdom
| | - Julian Chantrey
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom
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Molecular Characterization of Clostridium perfringens Strains Isolated in Italy. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12100650. [PMID: 33050097 PMCID: PMC7600699 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12100650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium (C.) perfringens is the causative agent of several diseases and enteric infections in animals and humans. The pathogenicity of the bacterium is largely mediated by the production of a wide range of toxins. Individual C. perfringens strains produce only subsets of this toxin repertoire, which permits the classification in seven toxinotypes (A–G). In addition, a variety of minor toxins further characterizes the single strains. The aim of this work was to evaluate, using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays, the diversity of 632 C. perfringens strains isolated in Italy over 15 years. The genotyped strains were analyzed to determine the presence of major and minor toxins (cpe, consensus, and atypical cpb2), their geographical origins, and the source of isolation (animal species or food). Our study shows that toxinotype A had the greatest representation (93%) and correlated mainly with consensus cpb2 in a variety of animal species, as well as with atypical cpb2 in the five food samples. Type D, associated with cpe and atypical cpb2 minor toxins, was identified in 3% of the cases, and type F was identified in 2.5%. Seven type C isolates (1.1%) were detected in cattle, whereas the only type B atypical cpb2 isolated in Italy was detected in a goat, and one type E cpe+atypical cpb2 was detected in a sheep. Type G was not detected.
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12
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Gharieb R, Saad M, Abdallah K, Khedr M, Farag E, Abd El-Fattah A. Insights on toxin genotyping, virulence, antibiogram profiling, biofilm formation and efficacy of disinfectants on biofilms of Clostridium perfringens isolated from poultry, animals and humans. J Appl Microbiol 2020; 130:819-831. [PMID: 32881183 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This study aimed to determine the toxin genotypes, virulence determinants and antibiogram of Clostridium perfringens isolated from poultry, animals and humans. Biofilm formation and the efficacy of disinfectants on C. perfringens biofilms were studied. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty C. perfringens isolates (20 clinical and 10 from chicken carcasses) were genotyped by PCR and all isolates were genotype A (cpa+). The overall prevalence of cpe, cpb2, netB and tpeL virulence genes was 6·7, 56·7, 56·7 and 36·7% respectively. Twenty-one isolates (70%) were multidrug-resistant, 8 (26·7%) were extensive drug-resistant and one isolate (3·3%) was pan drug-resistant. The average multiple antibiotic resistance index was 0·7. Biofilms were produced by 63·3% of C. perfringens isolates and categorized as weak (36·7%), moderate (16·7%) and strong (10%). Sodium hypochlorite caused significant reduction in C. perfringens biofilms (P < 0·0001). CONCLUSIONS All C. perfringens strains in this study were type A, resistant to multiple antibiotics and most of them were biofilm producers. Sodium hypochlorite showed higher efficacy in reducing C. perfringens biofilms. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study reported the efficacy of disinfectants in reducing C. perfringens biofilms of economic and public health concern and recommends application on surfaces in farms, food processing plants and slaughterhouses.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Gharieb
- Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - M Saad
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - K Abdallah
- Department of Food Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - M Khedr
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - E Farag
- Department of Bacteriology, Animal Health Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
| | - A Abd El-Fattah
- Department of Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
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13
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The Circulation of Type F Clostridium perfringens among Humans, Sewage, and Ruditapes philippinarum (Asari Clams). Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9080669. [PMID: 32824805 PMCID: PMC7459516 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9080669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is an important pathogen that is responsible for gastroenteritis; the causative agent for the symptoms is C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), which is mainly produced by type F C. perfringens. Since shellfishes may gather C. perfringens in the water environment, this study estimated the potential circulation of type F C. perfringens among humans, sewage, and Ruditapes philippinarum (asari clams) as a result of sewage pollution. A comparison of the characteristics among the isolates from 86 sewage influents, 36 effluents, 76 asari clams, and 37 humans was conducted. Serotyping, cpe genotyping, and toxin genotyping showed that C. perfringens with a plasmid IS1151 sequence downstream of cpe was predominant among sewage influents, effluents, humans, and asari clams. Multilocus sequence typing suggested that some isolates from a human, sewage influents, effluents, and asari clams were linked to each other. These results demonstrated that asari clams are the necessary infection sources of C. perfringens responsible for carriers and foodborne diseases, and that these pathogens from humans infected by asari clams can pollute the water environment. It is useful to assess bacteria such as C. perfringens isolates from sewage to estimate the trend of those from the community.
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Kiu R, Sim K, Shaw A, Cornwell E, Pickard D, Kroll JS, Hall LJ. Genomic Analysis of Clostridium perfringens BEC/CPILE-Positive, Toxinotype D and E Strains Isolated from Healthy Children. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:E543. [PMID: 31546794 PMCID: PMC6783817 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11090543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens toxinotype D, toxinotype E, and gastroenteritis-linked BEC/CPILE-positive strains have never been reported in healthy children. We isolated, whole-genome sequenced and bioinformatically characterised three C. perfringens isolates-type D (IQ1), type E (IQ2) and BEC/CPILE-positive (IQ3), recovered from the stools of three healthy two-year-olds, which were further compared to 128 C. perfringens genomes available from NCBI. The analysis uncovered a previously under-described putative toxin gene alv (alveolysin) encoded by isolates IQ2 and IQ3, which appeared to be a clade-specific trait associated with strains from domestic animals. A plasmid analysis indicated that the iota-toxin was encoded on a near-intact previously described plasmid pCPPB-1 in type E strain IQ2. The BEC genes becA and becB were carried on a near-identical pCPOS-1 plasmid previously associated with Japanese gastroenteritis outbreaks. Furthermore, a close phylogenetic relatedness was inferred between the French C. perfringens type E isolates cp515.17 and newly sequenced IQ2, suggesting geographical links. This study describes novel C. perfringens isolates from healthy individuals which encode important toxin genes, indicating the potential spread of these veterinary and clinically important strains and mobile genetic elements, and highlights areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Kiu
- Gut Microbes & Health, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UK.
| | - Kathleen Sim
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1NY, UK.
| | - Alex Shaw
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1NY, UK.
| | - Emma Cornwell
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1NY, UK.
| | - Derek Pickard
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
| | - J Simon Kroll
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1NY, UK.
| | - Lindsay J Hall
- Gut Microbes & Health, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UK.
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