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Detection of opportunistic bacterial pathogens with intrinsic amoxicillin- and cephalosporin-resistance in wild koala faecal microbiomes.

Opportunistic bacterial pathogens frequently associated with human clinical infections, including antimicrobial-resistant strains, are infiltrating the microbiomes of wild animals, where they have the potential to negatively impact wildlife health. Bacterial genes conferring resistance to amoxicillin have previously been reported in koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal DNA. Koalas are facing several key threats, including wildfires, and affected individuals may receive amoxicillin therapy to treat burn wounds. This study aimed to identify the species of amoxicillin-resistant bacteria in koala gut microbiomes and determine if they are opportunistic pathogens. Faecal samples collected from 98 wild-caught koalas were cultured using amoxicillin-supplemented media to isolate amoxicillin-resistant Gram-negative enteric bacteria. Isolates were screened using 16S rRNA PCR and Sanger sequencing to identify opportunistic pathogenic species, which then underwent whole-genome sequencing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Intrinsically amoxicillin-resistant opportunistic pathogens were obtained from 9.2% (9/98) of koala faecal samples and comprised Klebsiella oxytoca (6/98, 6.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1/98, 1.0%) and Citrobacter spp. (2/98, 2.0%). Seven of nine amoxicillin-resistant opportunistic pathogens also exhibited cephalosporin resistance. Four K. oxytoca isolates belonged to lineages associated with human clinical infections, which also have the potential to cause disease in koalas, including fatal systemic infections in pouch young. The presence of amoxicillin- and cephalosporin-resistant strains may also increase the risk of gut dysbiosis and opportunistic infections when penicillins or cephalosporins are required to treat bacterial infections in koalas, highlighting the importance of good antimicrobial stewardship. The study findings demonstrate the One Health perspective of microbial pathogens and the intertwined microbial ecology between humans and wildlife.

Animals↗

Incompatibility group K plasmids in bacteria isolated from a urinary tract infection.

Citrobacter freundii and Klebsiella pneumoniae were concurrently isolated from a patient with a urinary tract infection. Transferable drug resistant plasmids were isolated from both strains, pMS434 and pMS435. These plasmids belonged to incompatibility group K and both carried genes governing resistance to various aminoglycoside antibiotics, i.e., kanamycin, gentamicin C complex, streptomycin, and 3',4'-dideoxykanamycin B, in addition to those governing resistance to sulfanilamide and ampicillin. They inactivated kanamycin, gentamicin C complex and 3',4'-dideoxykanamycin by adenylylation and kanamycin by phosphorylation. Electron microscopic observations disclosed that the molecular weights of the plasmids were about 67.8 megadaltons. These results indicated the similarity in genetic constitution of the two plasmids. This was the second isolation of incompatibility group K plasmids, following that reported by Hedges and Datta (Nature 234: 220-221, 1971).

Aminoglycosides↗

Inhibitory effect of bacterial attachment on candidal growth due to adherence with mannose-sensitive pili.

A bacterial strain with affinity to Candida albicans was successfully obtained from a natural environment. An uncovered Petri dish containing a suspension of heat-killed C. albicans cells was allowed to stand in a laboratory for several days. Some bacteria which had adhered to the candidal cells were tested for their ability to agglutinate the cells. A bacterial strain, designated later as CAB-1, was found to agglutinate candidal cells through bridging by mannose-sensitive pili. CAB-1 showed similar bacteriological characteristics to those of Citrobacter freundii by ID test. The adherence of CAB-1 to candidal cell was precisely presented by scanning electron microscopy. The inhibitory effect of CAB-1 attachment to candidal cells on the growth of Candida was also preliminarily confirmed.

Agglutination↗

Growth of salmonellas in different enrichment media.

The usefulness of selenite-F (S-F), tetrathionate (MKT) and Rappaport-10 (R-10) broths as enrichment media to support growth of salmonellas either alone or in the presence of other competing organisms was studied. Their ability to support the growth of stressed salmonellas from water was also investigated. It was observed that R-10 was more inhibitory to competing organisms than MKT and S-F. It strongly inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii and Proteus vulgaris though not of Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. It was more toxic, however, to small numbers of salmonellas than MKT and S-F. Tetrathionate was strongly inhibitory for E. coli and Ent. aerogenes but much less so for Proteus and Pseudomonas species. Selenite-F was much less inhibitory than MKT to Ps. aeruginosa and it did not inhibit growth of E. coli and Ent. aerogenes as much as MKT. Salmonellas were inhibited by all three enrichment media and none of them is ideally suited for direct use. Of the three media, R-10 was much more inhibitory to stressed organisms than S-F or MKT.

Citrobacter↗

Rapid impedance detection of salmonellas in confectionery using modified LICNR broth.

A commercially available broth, with the addition of inhibitors, was used for the rapid impediometric detection of salmonellas in confectionery. Pre-enrichment in skimmed milk was followed by lysine-iron-cystine-neutral red broth in a Bactometer 123 system. Results were obtained 3 d earlier than is possible with conventional microbiological tests. Some false positives were obtained predominantly with Citrobacter freundii, but this problem is also frequently encountered with traditional methods. Organisms responsible for false positives may be isolated and identified more rapidly than is possible by conventional methods.

Cacao↗

Role of bacteria in the oviposition behaviour and larval development of stable flies.

Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are the most important pests of cattle in the United States. However, adequate management strategies for stable flies, especially for pastured cattle, are lacking. Microbial/symbiont-based approaches offer novel venues for management of insect pests and/or vector-borne human and animal pathogens. Unfortunately, the fundamental knowledge of stable fly-microbial associations and their effect on stable fly biology is lacking. In this study, stable flies laid greater numbers of eggs on a substrate with an active microbial community (> 95% of total eggs oviposited) than on a sterilized substrate. In addition, stable fly larvae could not develop in a sterilized natural or artificial substrate/medium. Bacteria were isolated and identified from a natural stable fly oviposition/developmental habitat and their individual effect on stable fly oviposition response and larval development was evaluated in laboratory bioassays. Of nine bacterial strains evaluated in the oviposition bioassays, Citrobacter freundii stimulated oviposition to the greatest extent. C. freundii also sustained stable fly development, but to a lesser degree than Serratia fanticola. Serratia marcescens and Aeromonas spp. neither stimulated oviposition nor supported stable fly development. These results demonstrate a stable fly bacterial symbiosis; stable fly larval development depends on a live microbial community in the natural habitat, and stable fly females are capable of selecting an oviposition site based on the microbially derived stimuli that indicate the suitability of the substrate for larval development. This study shows a promising starting point for exploiting stable fly-bacterial associations for development of novel approaches for stable fly management.

Analysis of Variance↗

AmpG, a signal transducer in chromosomal beta-lactamase induction.

The chromosomal ampC beta-lactamase in Citrobacter freundii and Enterobacter cloacae is inducible by beta-lactam antibiotics. When an inducible ampC gene is introduced on a plasmid into Escherichia coli together with its transcriptional regulator ampR, the plasmid-borne beta-lactamase is still inducible. We have isolated mutants, containing alterations in a novel E. coli gene, ampG, in which a cloned C. freundii ampC gene is unable to respond to beta-lactam inducers. The ampG gene was cloned, sequenced and mapped to minute 9.6 on the E. coli chromosome. The deduced amino acid sequence predicted AmpG to be a 53 kDa, transmembrane protein, which we propose acts as a signal transducer or permease in the beta-lactamase induction system. Immediately upstream of ampG there is another 579-base-pair-long open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative lipoprotein shown to be non-essential for beta-lactamase induction. We have found that ampG and this ORF form an operon, whose promoter is located in front of the ORF. Located closely upstream of the putative promoter is the morphogene bolA, which is transcribed in the opposite orientation. However, using transcription fusions, we have found that the ampG transcription is not regulated by bolA. In addition, we show that transcription is probably not regulated by either the starvation specific sigma factor RpoS, which controls bolA, or by AmpD the negative regulator for ampC transcription.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

AIP56, a novel plasmid-encoded virulence factor of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida with apoptogenic activity against sea bass macrophages and neutrophils.

A strategy used by extracellular pathogens to evade phagocytosis is the utilization of exotoxins that kill host phagocytes. We have recently shown that one major pathogenicity strategy of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp), the agent of the widespread fish pasteurellosis, is the induction of extensive apoptosis of sea bass macrophages and neutrophils that results in lysis of these phagocytes by post-apoptotic secondary necrosis. Here we show that this unique process is mediated by a novel plasmid-encoded apoptosis inducing protein of 56 kDa (AIP56), an exotoxin abundantly secreted by all virulent, but not avirulent, Phdp strains tested. AIP56 is related to an unknown protein of the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and NleC, a Citrobacter rodentium type III secreted effector of unknown function. Passive immunization of sea bass with a rabbit anti-AIP56 serum conferred protection against Phdp challenge, indicating that AIP56 represents a key virulence factor of that pathogen and is a candidate for the design of an anti-pasteurellosis vaccine.

Animals↗

Purification and molecular properties of a new colicin.

The process of isolation and purification of a new colicin isolated from a Citrobacter strain is described. Escherichia coli sensitive cells are protected by vitamin B12 from the action of this bacteriocin; this suggests that it belongs to the E group of colicins. Therefore, we have called it colicin E4. It has a molecular weight of 56 000 and two molecular forms of isoelectric points 9.4 and 8.2 are separated in electrofocusing on polyacrylamide gels. It has a sedimentation coefficient of 3.4 S and the absorption coefficient A1(280%) nm is 6.23 cm(-1). Using an antibody raised against pure colicin E4, no cross-reaction was detected against colicins A, E1 or K. The physiological effect of colicin E4 on sensitive cells is very similar to that of colicins E1, K or I which disrupt the energized membrane state.

Amino Acids↗

Exclusive localization of colicin A in cell cytoplasm of producing bacteria.

The production of colicin A in Citrobacter freundii and in Escherichia coli was studied. After induction with low concentrations of mitomycin C, these organisms differed with regards to cell growth, cell viability, and kinetics of colicin A biosynthesis. Despite these differences, immunoferritin labelling on ultra-thin sections of induced frozen cells demonstrated that colicin A was located exclusively within the cell cytoplasm in both types of bacteria. By using protein markers, it was shown that at no time after induction was colicin A accumulated in the periplasmic space or in inner or outer membranes. These results were confirmed by a biochemical approach. For at least 3 h after induction, colicin A remained associated with producing cells and no colicin A activity was found in the periplasmic space. These results are discussed with reference to the synthesis and export of other bacteriocins.

Citrobacter↗

Three cases of post-traumatic endophthalmitis caused by unusual bacteria.

Three cases of post-traumatic endophthalmitis caused by unusual bacteria are presented. The pathogens identified were: (i) Bacillus cereus and Citrobacter freundii; (ii) Pseudomonas fluorescens; and (iii) Chryseobacterium meningosepticum and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Two of these pathogens have not previously been reported to cause endophthalmitis. The available literature regarding the individual cases is summarized and a brief discussion of post-traumatic endophthalmitis is presented, with reference to a recently published large series at the authors' institution.

Adult↗

Aquaporins contribute to diarrhoea caused by attaching and effacing bacterial pathogens.

Attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens such as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) cause serious global health problems. These bacteria colonize the gastrointestinal system, attach to intestinal epithelial cells, efface (collapse) infected cell microvilli and cause overt diarrhoea that may ultimately result in death of the host. Although pathogenically induced diarrhoea is a significant global health issue, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this disease remain largely unknown. A natural murine infection model, employing the A/E pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, has been helpful in studying the diseases in vivo. C. rodentium colonize the colon at high levels, attach to colonocytes, efface microvilli and cause hyperplasia and inflammation in infected mice. As the disease progresses, the mice develop a diarrhoea-like phenotype. Aquaporin (AQP) water channels have been proposed to play a role in the normal dehydration of faecal contents. Here we examine whether C. rodentium infection may alter AQP localization in colonocytes. We demonstrate that during infection, AQP2 and AQP3 are mislocalized from their normal location along cell membranes to the cell cytoplasm. The change in localization of these proteins correlates with the diarrhoea-like phenotype present in infected mice. Mice that recover from the infection at 28-35 days post inoculum regain their normal membrane AQP localization. The altered localization of AQPs is partially dependent on the bacterial type III effector proteins EspF and EspG. We conclude that altered AQP localization may be a contributing factor to diarrhoea during bacterial infection.

Animals↗

Spread of novel expanded-spectrum beta-lactamases in Enterobacteriaceae in a university hospital in the Paris area, France.

In 2002, 28 non-duplicate enterobacterial isolates producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) were collected from infected patients at the Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, France. Escherichia coli was the predominant ESBL-positive enterobacterial species, comprising ten (36%) of the isolates. CTX-M enzymes (CTX-M-3, CTX-M-10, CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-15) were produced by 11 (39%) of the isolates (six E. coli, two Enterobacter cloacae, one Enterobacter aerogenes, one Proteus mirabilis and one Citrobacter freundii). Other ESBLs, such as VEB-1 and PER-1, were also detected, but less frequently.

Citrobacter freundii↗

Purification and characterization of three carboxylesterases from Enterobacteriaceae.

The carboxylesterases from Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella enterica and Citrobacter amalonaticus were purified 104-, 95- and 120-fold, respectively by chromatography. The enzymes had similar catalytic activities but differed considerably in their inactivation by heat, di-isopropyl fluorophosphate and Cd2+, Zn2+, Hg2+ and Cu2+. Quantitative neutralization of hydrolytic activity with specific immunoglobulins indicated that the three enzymes were antigenically distinct.

Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases↗

Comparison of ViaB regions of Vi-positive organisms.

We cloned the vipR genes from Salmonella paratyphi C, S. dublin, and Citrobacter freundii strains and compared them with the S. typhi sequence to clarify the genetic relationship of the ViaB regions of Vi-positive organisms. ViaB regions were divided into two groups based on their sequences, the Salmonella and C. freundii groups. The vipR coding sequences of the Salmonella group were identical. Southern blot hybridization results using the full-length ViaB region as a probe support these findings.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterisation of CMY-4, an AmpC-type plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase in a Tunisian clinical isolate of Proteus mirabilis.

A strain of Proteus mirabilis resistant to beta-lactams, including cefoxitin, was isolated from the urine of a woman from Tunisia. Its antibiotic susceptibility pattern and that of the Escherichia coli transconjugant suggested the presence of an AmpC-type beta-lactamase. Two bands of beta-lactamase activity (pI 5.4 and 9.2) were detected by isoelectric focusing. The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the AmpC-type enzyme was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence was 98-99% identical to CMY-3 and to those of the plasmid-mediated AmpC-type beta-lactamases originated from Citrobacter freundii and 97% identical to the chromosome-encoded beta-lactamase of a Tunisian clinical isolate of C. freundii. This enzyme differs from CMY-2 by one substitution (Arg for Trp at position 221) and from CMY-3 by two substitutions (Glu for Gly at position 42 and Ser for Asn at position 363) and we propose the denomination CMY-4.

Aged↗

Identification and characterization of EspK, a type III secreted effector protein of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes bloody diarrhoea in humans and deploys a type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded by the locus of enterocyte effacement to elicit the formation of attaching and effacing (AE) lesions on intestinal epithelia. Here, we report the identification of a new secreted substrate of this system, z1829, which is encoded by cryptic prophage CP-933N. Elevated secretion of a beta-lactamase-z1829 fusion protein was detected upon mutation of sepD in EHEC O157:H7 and the fusion protein was translocated into infected epithelial cells in a T3SS-dependent manner; accordingly, we named the protein EspK. In common with the related Salmonella enterica type III secreted effector GogB, we observed that EspK localized to the cytoplasm when transiently expressed in COS-7 cells using EspK-specific antiserum. Inactivation of espK did not impair adherence or actin nucleation during infection of HeLa cells but affected persistence of EHEC O157:H7 in the intestines of orally inoculated calves. Inactivation of an orthologue of espK in the murine AE pathogen Citrobacter rodentium did not impair intestinal colonization in mice.

Animals↗

Enzymically accelerated biomineralization of heavy metals: application to the removal of americium and plutonium from aqueous flows.

A biological process for the removal of heavy metals from the aqueous flows is described. Metals are precipitated on the surface of immobilized cells of a Citrobacter sp. as cell-bound metal phosphates. This uses phosphate liberated by the activity of a cell-bound phosphatase. Some radionuclides (e.g. 241americium) form metal phosphates readily; efficient removal of 241Am on a continuous basis is demonstrated. At low phosphatase activities, the efficiency of uranium removal correlates with enzyme activity. High phosphatase activities are not realised as an increase in metal removal, suggesting that chemical events become rate-limiting. Studies have suggested that maximal metal uptake occurs only after nucleation and the formation of precipitation foci. A model is presented to illustrate how nucleation and crystallization processes could enhance the removal of plutonium and neptunium from dilute solutions.

Acrylic Resins↗