Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis: microbiology, biochemical properties, pathogenesis and molecular studies of virulence

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the etiological agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), a common disease in small ruminant populations throughout the world. Once established, this disease is difficult to eradicate because drug therapy is not effective and because the clinical detection of infected animals is of limited efficiency. We reviewed the microbiological, biochemical and taxonomic features of C. pseudotuberculosis, general aspects of infection, the main virulence determinants and currently available commercial vaccines. We also examined the current molecular strategies for the study of virulence in C. pseudotuberculosis, including the latest research on the identification of novel virulence factors and genes, which will help us to better understand the biology of this microorganism. This knowledge may also contribute to the development of improved CLA vaccines, including subunit and DNA-based types, as well as to improve the diagnosis, treatment and control of this disease.     

华东地区鸡白痢沙门氏菌毒力基因的分子流行病学调查

为了解鸡白痢沙门氏菌(S.pullorum)的相关毒力因子的流行病学变化,本研究参考GenBank中相关基因序列设计引物,对2010年10月至2012年7月期间江苏、安徽、上海、浙江等华东地区鸡、鸭、鹅、鸽中所分离的70株S.pullorum的毒力岛SPI-1、SPI-2、SPI-3、SPI-4、SPI-5的毒力基因hilA、sseL、mgtC、siiE、sopB 进行PCR检测,并选择10株分别来源于鸡、鸭、鹅、鸽源的的分离株进行测序分析.结果显示70株S.pullorum均携带5个毒力基因,位于SPI-1、SPI-2及SPI-3的hilA、sseL、mgtC基因高度保守(100％),而位于SPI-4、SPI-5的siiE和sopB基因在个别位点出现突变.本研究为S.pullorum毒力基因在流行菌株中的分布及变化情况提供实验依据.     

Plasmid profile analysis, phage typing, and antibiotic sensitivity of Salmonella dublin from clinical isolates in the United States.

One hundred clinical isolates of Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis serovar dublin (Salmonella dublin) were examined for phage sensitivity, antibiotic resistance patterns, and plasmid content. Computer analysis of the lysis patterns observed by using 27 typing phages divided the S. dublin isolates into 26 groups. One lytic pattern (Designated pattern 16) contained 52% of the isolates examined whereas 16 isolates had unique patterns, and nine patterns had fewer than ten members. Although 14 antibiotic resistance patterns were observed among the 100 isolates, 79% of the isolates grouped in three major patterns. Seven plasmid groups were identified and designated A-G based on the large plasmids found in the isolates. Of the 100 isolates, 28 contained the plasmid profile of Group A, 28 were Group B, 7 were Group C, 34 were Group D, and 1 isolate each was observed in Groups E, F, and G. The strong association between antibiotic resistance pattern and plasmid type suggest that the drug resistance genes are plasmid borne.     

Immunization of mice and calves against Salmonella dublin with attenuated live and inactivated vaccines.

Previous findings, viz. that mice can be successfully immunized against infection with Salmonella dublin with either live or inactivated vaccine, were confirmed. Immunity lasted for at least 12 weeks in mice which had been immunized with inactivated alum-precipitated vaccine. The immunogenicity of inactivated vaccine gradually decreased on storage at 4 degrees C, but this was only detectable if a single injection was used for immunization: 2 injections virtually eliminated this phenomenon. The immunogenicity of live vaccine in mice was not enhanced by levamizole or the simultaneous injection of inactivated organisms. Both live and inactivated vaccines provided immunity in calves. A single injection of lyophilized vaccine, prepared from live rough Salmonella dublin strain (HB 1/17),protected 3 out of 6 calves, while 2 injections of a formalin-inactivated, alum-precipated vaccine, containing 1% packed cells of S. dublin strain 2652 V, protected 5 out of 6 calves against intraduodenal challenge with 2 x 10(9), S. dublin strain 2652 V. Two calves which had been immunized with an inactivated oil adjuvant vaccine were also solidly immune to this challenge. Serum antibody response in calves was poor when measured by the tube agglutination and the haemagglutination tests. Similarly, the sera had only marginal protective values when tested by means of a passive protection test in mice. Antibody titres alone are not a valid measure therefore, for the immune status of immunized animals.     

Hybridization studies with a DNA probe derived from the virulence region of the 60 Mdal plasmid of Salmonella typhimurium.

Plasmid DNA of 68 strains of Salmonella that belonged to 18 serovars and exhibited 48 different plasmid profiles was examined for hybridization with a 32P-labelled DNA probe which consisted of a 3750 base pairs (bp) HindIII-HindIII fragment derived from the virulence region of the 60 megadalton (Mdal) plasmid of Salmonella typhimurium. The 32 Mdal plasmid of S. cholerae-suis, the 50 Mdal plasmid of S. dublin, the 36 Mdal plasmid of S. enteritidis, the 60 Mdal plasmid of S. gallinarum, the 60 Mdal plasmid of S. pullorum, and the 60 Mdal plasmid of S. typhimurium, plasmids that have been associated with virulence, all hybridized with the probe. Digestion of plasmid DNA of these strains with PvuII and hybridization with the probe revealed that the plasmids of strains of all six serovars contained fragments of approximately 2520 and 1520 bp that hybridized with the probe. Similarly, hybridization with BglI digests of DNA of the virulence-associated plasmids of strains of these six serovars showed that all six plasmids contained a fragment of approximately 3690 bp that hybridized with the probe. No other plasmids of these strains nor any plasmids of 12 other Salmonella serovars hybridized with the probe. Chromosomal DNA did not hybridize with the probe. The 60 Mdal plasmids of S. gallinarum and S. pullorum showed similar digestion patterns with restriction endonucleases BglI, BglII and PvuII.     

Coated fatty acids alter virulence properties of Salmonella Typhimurium and decrease intestinal colonization of pigs

Salmonella Typhimurium infections in pigs are a major source of human foodborne salmonellosis. To reduce the number of infected pigs, acidification of feed or drinking water is a common practice. The aim of the present study was to determine whether some frequently used short- (SCFA) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) are able to alter virulence gene expression and to decrease Salmonella Typhimurium colonization and shedding in pigs using well established and controlled in vitro and in vivo assays. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 4 SCFA (formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) and 2 MCFA (caproic and caprylic acid) were determined using 54 porcine Salmonella Typhimurium field strains. MIC values increased at increasing pH-values and were two to eight times lower for MCFA than for SCFA. Expression of virulence gene fimA was significantly lower when bacteria were grown in LB-broth supplemented with sub-MIC concentrations of caproic or caprylic acid (2 mM). Expression of hilA and invasion in porcine intestinal epithelial cells was significantly lower when bacteria were grown in LB-broth containing sub-MIC concentrations of butyric acid or propionic acid (10 mM) and caproic or caprylic acid (2 mM). When given as feed supplement to pigs experimentally infected with Salmonella Typhimurium, coated butyric acid decreased the levels of faecal shedding and intestinal colonization, but had no influence on the colonization of tonsils, spleen and liver. Uncoated fatty acids, however, did not influence fecal shedding, intestinal or tonsillar colonization in pigs. In conclusion, supplementing feed with certain coated fatty acids, such as butyric acid, may help to reduce the Salmonella load in pigs.     

Use of a Salmonella typhimurium-derived virulence probe in the detection of Salmonella sp. and in the characterization of S. cholerae-suis virulence plasmids

A genetic probe encoding a virulence gene from Salmonella typhimurium was useful in the detection of Salmonella from feces during an outbreak of salmonellosis at a local dairy. A 3.2-kb BamHI restriction endonuclease fragment of the S. typhimurium virulence plasmid, pStSR100, has been useful as a DNA probe for both detection of Salmonella sp. and characterization of virulence plasmids from numerous field isolates. This virA probe hybridizes to a highly conserved gene carried on the large virulence plasmids of invasive Salmonella isolates. Colony blots prepared from feces directly plated onto MaConkey's agar failed to detect low numbers of Salmonella sp. However, hybridization of the VirA probe to vacuum blots or colony blots prepared from feces in tetrathionate enrichment broth incubated for 16 hours at 37 C was effective for detecting Salmonella sp. and resulted in an 85.9% correlation with culture results. The probe also demonstrated the highly conserved nature (96%) of the virulence gene among S. cholerae-suis isolate plasmids detected using Southern blot analysis.     

Comparison of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates from dairy cattle and humans using in vitro assays of virulence

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella typhimurium) can infect and cause disease in a wide range of host species however there have been suggestions that this serovar may have genes involved with host range or specificity [Tsolis, R.M., Townsend, S.M., Miao, E.A., Miller, S.I., Ficht, T.A., Adams, L.G., Baumler, A.J., 1999. Identification of a putative S. enterica serotype Typhimurium host range factor with homology to IpaH and YopM by signature-tagged mutagenesis. Infect. Immun. 67 (12), 6385-6393]. Our goal in this study was to determine if in vitro virulence assays would support this suggestion. Twelve human and 10 bovine isolates of S. typhimurium from a single county in California were evaluated using in vitro virulence assays of adhesion and invasion. The resulting data was combined with results from previously reported genotypic and phenotypic testing of the isolates and statistical analysis performed using multivariate general linear models. Human isolates had higher adhesion values in each of the statistical models tested (p<0.05) but no statistical differences were found in the invasion values of human and bovine source isolates. Both adhesion and invasion values differed between the two largest groups of isolates segregated on the basis of pulsed-field gel patterns. The findings suggest there may be genetically defined in vitro virulence attributes in S. typhimurium that are associated with host species.     

Clinicopathological, hematological, and biochemical studies in some outbreaks of nephritis in poultry

Hematological, biochemical, histoenzymological, and histopathological changes in serum and tissues were studied in chickens during outbreaks of nephritis. Hematological studies revealed normocytic-normochromic anemia characterized by increased total erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Albumin-to-globulin ratio and sodium levels in serum, glucose in blood, and alkaline phosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase in liver and kidneys were decreased. Glutamate pyruvate transaminase, uric acid, non-protein-nitrogen, and potassium levels in serum were increased. No significant change in the calcium, phosphorus, and total protein levels in serum was observed. These changes were directly related to the severity of the nephritis.