Genetic manipulation of spirochetes--light at the end of the tunnel.
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Animals↗
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Intestinal spirochaetes in a Gulf Arab population.
Spirochaetal bacteria were isolated from the faeces of 11.4% of 1000 hospital patients and 26.7% of 292 healthy local nationals in the Muscat area of the Sultanate of Oman. A case-control study of patient records showed the isolation of the spirochaete to be associated with Omani nationality, age in excess of 2 years and attendance at self-referral health-care facilities. No association was found with symptomatic intestinal disease or microscopic abnormalities of the stool.
Adolescent↗
The isolation of fusobacteria from tropical ulcers.
Tropical ulcer is a disease found most commonly in the tropics, although the disease is not confined to those areas. Young children are affected most frequently and the disease is thought to be a polymicrobial infection with fusobacteria, aerobic microorganisms and spirochaetes each playing a role. The fusobacteria have been reported on smears but have not been cultured thus far. We report the isolation and culture of these organisms from 46 ulcers and have also demonstrated the same organisms in skin biopsies from these lesions.
Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
Improvement of chronic diarrhea after treatment for intestinal spirochetosis.
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Adult↗
Intestinal spirochetosis in eight pediatric patients from Southern Sweden.
Intestinal spirochetes in humans have been recognized for more than a century, but it is still a matter of debate whether they are just commensal organisms or whether they cause colorectal disease. Most descriptions to date are of adult patients, while reports in the pediatric literature have been scarce. In a retrospective study we found eight children with intestinal spirochetosis. The findings, clinical as well as pathological, with light- and electron microscopy, are presented. In all patients, a 3 microm-thick layer of spirochetes was visualised on the luminal aspect of the epithelial cells covering the enterocytes and part of the gland openings. In five of the eight cases an inflammatory cell reaction was seen by light microscopy and in one patient a picture suggesting intracytoplasmatically located spirochetes was seen by electron microscopy. Despite partial or complete destruction of microvilli, spirochetes were still able to adhere to the enterocyte membranes. In three children there was a clear correlation between treatment and relief of symptoms. In four there was partial improvement and in one child no change in bowel-related symptoms. We believe that intestinal spirochetes may cause colorectal disease in children. Possible pathogenic mechanisms are discussed.
Adolescent↗
Microbiology of periodontal disease in children and young adults.
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Actinobacillus Infections↗
Spirochaetes can colonize colorectal adenomatous epithelium.
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Adenoma↗
Brachyspira aalborgi infection in four Australian children.
AIM: The clinical presentation of four children and adolescents (two males and two females with a mean age of 12.4 years; range 9-16 years) with colorectal spirochetosis is discussed. RESULTS: Symptoms included persistent diarrhea (n = 2), rectal bleeding (n = 1) and abdominal pain (n = 2). In all patients, colorectal spirochetosis was an unanticipated finding on colonic histology, and the presence of spirochetes was confirmed by the use of electron microscopy. Spirochetes were identified as Brachyspira aalborgi by using PCR amplification of the bacterial 16S rRNA and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase sequences in all four patients. No other enteric pathogens were found. CONCLUSIONS: Although all patients appeared to respond to antibiotic treatment, the clinical significance of B. aalborgi as a human pathogen requires further investigation.
Adolescent↗
[Intestinal spirochetosis in HIV infection: prevalence, isolation and morphology of spirochetes].
The prevalence of intestinal spirochaetosis was investigated in 39 HIV-positive homosexual males (mean age 39 [24-65] years) in different stages of HIV infection (3 with the lymphadenopathy syndrome, 8 with AIDS-related complex and 28 with AIDS). Biopsies for cultural and histological demonstration of spirochaetes were obtained during routine ileoscopies. At the time of examination 35 of the 39 patients had intestinal symptoms. 27 patients had had no previous antimicrobial treatment. In 12 of the 27 previously untreated patients with intestinal symptoms spirochaetes were demonstrated, to different extent, from the terminal ileum to the rectum, while the treated group of eight and the control group of four were negative. There were no significant inflammatory changes histologically. Treatment with metronidazole in most cases improved symptoms. In their ultrastructure the microorganisms showed several complete convolutions, cone-shaped cell endings, cell length of 4-18 microns, cell diameter of 0.21-0.35 microns and five subterminal flagella. Morphological considerations favour the inclusion of these microorganisms in the genus Treponema rather than Brachyspira.
AIDS-Related Complex↗
The spirochetal etiology of Lyme disease.
We recovered a newly recognized spirochete from the blood, skin lesions (erythema chronicum migrans [ECM]), or cerebrospinal fluid of 3 of 56 patients with Lyme disease and from 21 of 110 nymphal or adult lxodes dammini ticks in Connecticut. These isolates and the original one from l. dammini appeared to have the same morphologic and immunologic features. In patients, specific IgM antibody titers usually reached a peak between the third and sixth week after the onset of disease; specific IgG antibody titers rose slowly and were generally highest months later when arthritis was present. Among 40 patients who had early disease only (ECM alone), 90 per cent had an elevated IgM titer (greater than or equal to 1:128) between the ECM phase and convalescence. Among 95 patients with later manifestations (involvement of the nervous system, heart, or joints), 94 per cent had elevated titers of IgG (greater than or equal to 1:128). In contrast, none of 80 control subjects had elevated IgG titers, and only three control patients with infectious mononucleosis had elevated IgM titers. We conclude that the I. dammini spirochete is the causative agent of Lyme disease.
Antibodies, Bacterial↗
Spirochetes isolated from the blood of two patients with Lyme disease.
We isolated spirochetes from the blood of 2 of 36 patients in Long Island and Westchester County, New York, who had signs and symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease. The spirochetes were morphologically similar and serologically identical to organisms recently found to infect lxodes dammini ticks, which are endemic to the area and have been epidemiologically implicated as vectors of Lyme disease. In both patients, there was a rise in specific antispirochetal antibodies in paired specimens of serum. We conclude that the l. dammini spirochete has an etiologic role in Lyme disease.
Adult↗
Evaluation of large-intestinal parameters associated with dietary treatments designed to reduce the occurrence of swine dysentery.
Diets containing soluble NSP (sNSP) and resistant starch (RS) increase hindgut fermentation in pigs, which in turn increases the incidence of swine dysentery (SD) after infection with the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. In the present study pigs were fed diets based on either wheat or sorghum, fed either raw or treated by extrusion, and/or with the addition of dietary enzymes to reduce RS and/or sNSP content. The aim was to determine the effects of these treatments on pig performance, large intestinal fermentation and expression of SD. Weaned pigs (n 132) were fed experimental diets for 4 weeks, when half the pigs in each treatment group were euthanased and samples collected to assess the influence of the diet on hindgut fermentation. The remaining pigs then were infected with B. hyodysenteriae, and monitored for development of SD. In general, compared with pigs fed raw wheat, fermentation in all parts of the large intestine was reduced either by feeding raw sorghum-based diets, or by feeding diets that were extruded. The addition of enzymes that degrade RS or sNSP reduced fermentation only in the distal parts of the large intestine. The incidence of SD was lower in pigs fed sorghum-based diets, and some of the extruded diets, but none of the dietary treatments offered full protection against SD. Multiple regression analysis of the results from all three experiments showed that colonisation by spirochaetes was highly related to dietary sNSP concentrations, whilst development of SD was similarly influenced by RS content of the diet.
Analysis of Variance↗
Influence of in-feed zinc bacitracin and tiamulin treatment on experimental avian intestinal spirochaetosis caused by Brachyspira intermedia.
Thirty individually caged layer hens were inoculated with Brachyspira intermedia, and 20 control birds remained unchallenged. Birds received a diet containing 100 parts/10(6) zinc bacitracin (ZnB), and were monitored for 10 weeks. B. intermedia was recovered sporadically from five of the inoculated birds, and there were no significant effects on body weight, faecal water or egg production. ZnB was presumed to be indirectly inhibiting spirochaete growth, and when removed from the diet, 18 of the 30 inoculated birds rapidly became culture positive. After 4 weeks, 10 of the 30 infected birds were treated with tiamulin at 25 mg/kg for 5 days, and 10 were returned to the diet containing ZnB. Birds receiving tiamulin became spirochaete negative and maintained their egg production, but re-infection occurred. The other 20 infected birds had a significant drop in egg production, but those receiving ZnB showed a reduced colonization by B. intermedia after 3 weeks.
Animal Feed↗
Zinc bacitracin enhances colonization by the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli in experimentally infected layer hens.
Brachyspira pilosicoli strain CPSp1 isolated from a chicken in a broiler breeder flock in Queensland was used to experimentally infect 40 individually caged 22-week-old laying hens. Another 10 birds were sham-inoculated with sterile broth. All chickens received a commercial layer diet, but 10 infected birds had 50 parts/10(6) zinc bacitracin (ZnB) incorporated in their food. Birds were kept for 7 weeks, and faecal moisture, egg numbers, egg weights and body weights were recorded weekly. B. pilosicoli was isolated from the faeces of only three of the 30 inoculated birds receiving the diet without ZnB, whereas seven of the 10 inoculated birds receiving ZnB in their diet were colonized. This difference in colonization rate was highly significant (P = < 0.001). Dietary ZnB at 50 parts/10(6) therefore predisposed to colonization by B. pilosicoli. Despite colonization, no significant production differences were found between the birds in the three groups.
Animal Feed↗
Evaluation of tiamulin and lincomycin for the treatment of broiler breeders experimentally infected with the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli.
Brachyspira pilosicoli strain CPSp1 isolated from a chicken in a broiler breeder flock in Queensland was used to experimentally infect 30 individually caged 22-week-old Cobb 500 broiler breeder hens. Another 10 birds were sham-inoculated with sterile broth. All birds failed to become colonized. At 29 weeks of age, all birds were transferred to a diet containing 50 parts/10(6) zinc bacitracin (ZnB) and were re-challenged with the same B. pilosicoli strain at 32 weeks of age, weekly for 5 weeks. The majority of the inoculated birds then became colonized, confirming previous findings that ZnB can increase susceptibility to colonization with B. pilosicoli. The control group remained uninfected. Infected groups tended to have an increased faecal water content and faecal staining of eggshells. Ten birds were then treated by crop tube with 25 mg/kg body weight tiamulin for 5 days, and 10 birds with 20 mg/kg body weight lincomycin for 5 days. Both treatments removed the infection, while untreated birds remained infected. The results support previous observations that ZnB at 50 parts/10(6) in the diet increases the susceptibility of birds to B. pilosicoli infection, and demonstrated the usefulness of both tiamulin and lincomycin for treatment of infection with B. pilosicoli in adult birds.
Animals↗
A wheat-based diet enhances colonization with the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira intermedia in experimentally infected laying hens.
This study investigated the influence of feeding diets based on cereals with different non-starch polysaccharide content on colonization with the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira intermedia in experimentally infected laying hens. The diets were based on wheat, barley, or barley and sorghum, all with or without supplementation with exogenous dietary enzymes. Six groups of 12 individually caged laying hens were fed the respective diets for 2 weeks, and then challenged at 20 weeks of age by crop tube with 10(8) to 10(9) colony forming units of active motile spirochaetes on five successive days. Eggs were collected daily. The birds were weighed weekly, and caecal faeces collected for assessment of water content. Every 3 to 4 days cloacal swabs were collected and subjected to culture and subsequent polymerase chain reaction for B. intermedia. The birds were killed at 27 weeks of age. Caecal contents were cultured for spirochaetes, and the viscosity of the ileal and rectal contents assessed. Dietary soluble non-starch polysaccharide content was not a consistent predictor of viscosity in the ileum, and the addition of enzymes did not significantly reduce the viscosity. A dietary influence on colonization was observed, with birds fed wheat having significantly more colonization than the birds fed the other diets. No significant association was found between either dietary soluble non-starch polysaccharide content or ileal viscosity and colonization with B. intermedia, as assessed by faecal excretion of the spirochaete. Dietary enzymes did not consistently or significantly reduce colonization. It was not established how wheat enhances colonization by B. intermedia, but the results suggest that wheat-based diets should be avoided in flocks infected with B. intermedia.
Animal Feed↗
Typhlocolitis associated with spirochaetes in goose flocks.
The role of Brachyspira bacteria in the aetiology of increased mortality observed in two breeder goose flocks (Flock A consisting of 1,500 and Flock B comprising 4,500 laying geese) at the end of the first egg-laying season, in the period of moulting, was studied. In Flock A 415 geese (28%) died during an 8-week period while in Flock B 834 geese (18%) died during a 12-week period. On gross pathological examination, the geese were found to have haemorrhagic-to-necrotic inflammation of the large intestine (colon and rectum) and fibrinonecrotic typhlitis accompanied by severe degeneration. Often, fibrosis of the kidneys, and in five of the geese secondary visceral urate deposition ("visceral gout") was also observed. Histopathological examination consistently demonstrated spirochaetes in the mucous membrane of the affected large intestine. This was confirmed by the results of immunohistochemical and electron microscopic examination. In addition, Trichomonas stages were also detected from the large intestine of 11 geese. On the basis of their cultural and biochemical properties, and PCR sequencing analysis, eight out of the nine spirochaete strains isolated from the geese by culture on special media under anaerobic conditions were identified as Brachyspira alvinipulli. This is the first report on the isolation of B. alvinipulli from laying geese affected with fibrinonecrotic typhlocolitis.
Animals↗
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Brachyspira intermedia and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolates from Australian chickens.
Susceptibilities of predominantly Australian isolates of the pathogenic intestinal spirochaetes Brachyspira intermedia (n = 25) and Brachyspira pilosicoli (n = 17) from chickens were tested in agar dilution against four concentrations each of the antimicrobials tiamulin, lincomycin, tylosin, metronidazole, tetracycline and ampicillin. Based on available minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoint values for Brachyspira hyodysenteriae or other Gram-negative enteric veterinary pathogens, isolates of both species generally were susceptible to tiamulin, lincomycin, metronidazole and tetracycline. Although not classed as resistant, four isolates of B. intermedia had an elevated MIC range for tiamulin (1 to 4 mg/l), 11 isolates of B. intermedia and five of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for lincomycin (10 to 50 mg/l), one isolate of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for tetracycline (10 to 20 mg/l), and one isolate of B. intermedia and five of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for ampicillin (10 to 50 mg/l). A clear lack of susceptibility to tylosin (MIC > 4 mg/l) was seen in 11 isolates each of B. intermedia and B. pilosicoli, and to ampicillin (MIC > 32 mg/l) in two isolates of B. pilosicoli. These data suggest that some resistance to common antimicrobials exists among intestinal spirochetes obtained from laying hens and supports the need of MIC data for clinical isolates before any treatment is considered.
Animals↗