Effect of metC mutation on Salmonella Gallinarum virulence and invasiveness in 1-day-old White Leghorn chickens

Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum Biovars Pullorum and Gallinarum in Poultry: Review of Pathogenesis, Antibiotic Resistance, Diagnosis and Control in the Genomic Era

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum (SG) has two distinct biovars, Pullorum and Gallinarum. They are bacterial pathogens that exhibit host specificity for poultry and aquatic birds, causing severe systemic diseases known as fowl typhoid (FT) and Pullorum disease (PD), respectively. The virulence mechanisms of biovars Gallinarum and Pullorum are multifactorial, involving a variety of genes and pathways that contribute to their pathogenicity. In addition, these serovars have developed resistance to various antimicrobial agents, leading to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Due to their economic and public health significance, rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective control and prevention of these diseases. Conventional methods, such as bacterial culture and serological tests, have been used for screening and diagnosis. However, molecular-based methods are becoming increasingly important due to their rapidity, high sensitivity, and specificity, opening new horizons for the development of innovative approaches to control FT and PD. The aim of this review is to highlight the current state of knowledge on biovars Gallinarum and Pullorum, emphasizing the importance of continued research into their pathogenesis, drug resistance and diagnosis to better understand and control these pathogens in poultry farms.

Safety and protective efficacy of Salmonella Pullorum spiC and rfaH deletion rough mutant as a live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate

Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum) causes pullorum disease (PD), which is an acute systemic disease, in chickens, and leads to serious economic losses in many developing countries because of its high morbidity and mortality rate in young chicks. The live-attenuated vaccine is considered to be an effective measure to control the Salmonella infection. In addition, the DIVA (differentiation of infected and vaccinated animals) feature without the interference of serological monitoring of Salmonella infection is an important consideration in the development of the Salmonella vaccine. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a S. Pullorum rough mutant S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH as a live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate in chickens. The S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH exhibited a significant rough lipopolysaccharides (LPS) phenotype which was agglutinated with the acriflavine, not with the O₉ mono antibody. Compared to the wild-type, 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the rough mutant increased 100-fold confirmed its attenuation. The mutant strain also showed a decreased bacterial colonization in the spleen and liver. The immunization with the mutant strain had no effect on the body weight and no tissue lesions were observed in the liver and spleen. The high level of the S. Pullorum-specific IgG titers in the serum indicated that significant humoral immune responses were induced in the immunization group. The cellular immune responses were also elicited from the analysis of lymphocyte proliferation and expression of cytokines in the spleen. In addition, the S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH immunized group exhibited a negative response for the serological test, while the wild-type S06004 infection group was strongly positive for the serological test showing a DIVA capability. The survival rates in the vaccinated chickens were 87% after intramuscular challenge with wild-type S. Pullorum, while the survival rates were 20% in the control groups. Overall, these results have demonstrated that the rough mutant S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH strain can be developed as an efficient live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate to control the systemic S. Pullorum infection without the interference of salmonellosis monitoring program in poultry.

Evaluation of Safety and Protective Efficacy of a waaJ and spiC Double Deletion Korean Epidemic Strain of Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum

With an aim to develop a highly attenuated and strongly immunogenic distinguishable vaccine candidate, a waaJ (a gene involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharide) and spiC (a virulence gene) double deletion Korean epidemic strain of S. enterica ser. Gallinarum (SG005) was constructed. Our results showed that the growth and biochemical characteristics were not altered by this double deletion. The double deletion strain contained dual markers. One was a bacteriological marker (rough phenotype) and the other was a serological marker helping distinguish infected chickens from vaccinated chickens. The double deletion strain showed good genetic stability and reduced resistance to environmental stresses in vitro; furthermore, it was extremely safe and highly avirulent in broilers. Single intramuscular or oral immunization of 7-day-old broilers with the double deletion strain could stimulate the body to produce antibody levels similar to the conventional vaccine strain SG9R. In addition, against a lethal wild-type challenge, it conferred effective protection that was comparable to that seen in the group vaccinated with SG9R. In conclusion, this double deletion strain may be an effective vaccine candidate for controlling S. enterica ser. Gallinarum infection in broilers.

Motility, Biofilm Formation and Antimicrobial Efflux of Sessile and Planktonic Cells of Achromobacter xylosoxidans

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an innately multidrug-resistant bacterium capable of forming biofilms in the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. During the transition from the planktonic stage to biofilm growth, bacteria undergo a transcriptionally regulated differentiation. An isolate of A. xylosoxidans cultured from the sputum of a CF patient was separated into sessile and planktonic stages in vitro, and the transcriptomes were compared. The selected genes of interest were subsequently inactivated, and flagellar motility was found to be decisive for biofilm formation in vitro. The spectrum of a new resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type multidrug efflux pump (AxyEF-OprN) was characterized by inactivation of the membrane fusion protein. AxyEF-OprN is capable of extruding some fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin), tetracyclines (doxycycline and tigecycline) and carpabenems (ertapenem and imipenem), which are classes of antimicrobials that are widely used for treatment of CF pulmonary infections.

Methionine biosynthesis and transport are functionally redundant for the growth and virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium

Methionine (Met) is an amino acid essential for many important cellular and biosynthetic functions, including the initiation of protein synthesis and S-adenosylmethionine–mediated methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. The de novo biosynthetic pathway of Met is well conserved across prokaryotes but absent from vertebrates, making it a plausible antimicrobial target. Using a systematic approach, we examined the essentiality of de novo methionine biosynthesis in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a bacterial pathogen causing significant gastrointestinal and systemic diseases in humans and agricultural animals. Our data demonstrate that Met biosynthesis is essential for S. Typhimurium to grow in synthetic medium and within cultured epithelial cells where Met is depleted in the environment. During systemic infection of mice, the virulence of S. Typhimurium was not affected when either de novo Met biosynthesis or high-affinity Met transport was disrupted alone, but combined disruption in both led to severe in vivo growth attenuation, demonstrating a functional redundancy between de novo biosynthesis and acquisition as a mechanism of sourcing Met to support growth and virulence for S. Typhimurium during infection. In addition, our LC-MS analysis revealed global changes in the metabolome of S. Typhimurium mutants lacking Met biosynthesis and also uncovered unexpected interactions between Met and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Together, this study highlights the complexity of the interactions between a single amino acid, Met, and other bacterial processes leading to virulence in the host and indicates that disrupting the de novo biosynthetic pathway alone is likely to be ineffective as an antimicrobial therapy against S. Typhimurium.

Growth Characterization of Single and Double Salmonella Methionine Auxotroph Strains for Potential Vaccine Use in Poultry

Poultry meat is an important source of zoonotic Salmonella infection. Oral vaccination of chickens with live attenuated Salmonella during grow-out is an attractive approach to control Salmonella colonization in the chicken gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we report the construction of methionine-dependent and growth of Salmonella Typhimurium mutant strains with methionine auxotrophy (ΔmetR and ΔΔmetRmetD) and survival in chicken feed and fecal matrices. The methionine auxotroph mutant ΔΔmetRmetD grew slowly on L-methionine but failed to grow on D-methionine, as expected, and exhibited lower affinity for methionine compared with the isogenic parent strain (ΔmetR single mutant) in whole-cell affinity experiments. Preliminary data conducted as part of a previously published bird challenge study indicated that the methionine auxotroph was less effective at protection in chickens to a challenge with virulent wild-type parent strain but generated greater Salmonella-specific serum IgG. Although the auxotroph could not sustain itself in minimal media it was able to survive when incubated in the presence of chicken and fecal material. The immune response appears promising but further work may be needed to alter low-affinity methionine transporters and methionine biosynthesis genes in combination with the knock-out of the high affinity transporter metD reported here to ensure timely clearance of the candidate vaccine strain.

Protective efficacy and immune responses by homologous prime-booster immunizations of a novel inactivated Salmonella Gallinarum vaccine candidate

Purpose

Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum (SG) ghost vaccine candidate was recently constructed. In this study, we evaluated various prime-boost vaccination strategies using the candidate strain to optimize immunity and protection efficacy against fowl typhoid.

Materials and Methods

The chickens were divided into five groups designated as group A (non-immunized control), group B (orally primed and boosted), group C (primed orally and boosted intramuscularly), group D (primed and boosted intramuscularly), and group E (primed intramuscularly and boosted orally). The chickens were primed with the SG ghost at 7 days of age and were subsequently boosted at the fifth week of age. Post-immunization, the plasma IgG and intestinal secretory IgA (sIgA) levels, and the SG antigen-specific lymphocyte stimulation were monitored at weekly interval and the birds were subsequently challenged with a virulent SG strain at the third week post-second immunization.

Results

Chickens in group D showed an optimized protection with significantly increased plasma IgG, sIgA, and lymphocyte stimulation response compared to all groups. The presence of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells and monocyte/macrophage (M/M) in the spleen, and splenic expression of cytokines such as interferon γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the immunized chickens were investigated. The prime immunization induced significantly higher splenic M/M population and mRNA levels of IFN-γ whereas the booster showed increases of splenic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell population and IL-6 cytokine in mRNA levels.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the prime immunization with the SG ghost vaccine induced Th1 type immune response and the booster elicited both Th1- and Th2-related immune responses.

Utilization of a Modified Phage E Protein Lysis System Accounts for Increased Biomass in Salmonella Gallinarum Ghosts

A major limiting issue of bacterial ghost technology involves the stable maintenance of Phix174 lysis gene E expression. Unwanted leaky expression of gene E in the absence of induction temperature results in reduced biomass production of host bacterium, consequently leading to the lower yield of bacterial ghost. To mitigate the leaky expression status of lysis gene E, we utilized a novel E-lysis system in which gene E is located between sense λpR promoter with a CI857 regulator and antisense ParaBAD promoter with the AraC regulator. In the presence of L-arabinose at 28 C, unwanted transcription of lysis gene E from λpR promoter is repressed by a simultaneous transcription event from ParaBAD promoter by means of anti-sense RNA-mediated inhibition. Tight repression of lysis gene E in the absence of induction temperature resulted in higher bacterial cell number in culture suspension and, consequently, higher production of Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) ghost biomass. The safety and protective efficacy of the SG ghost vaccine were further examined in chickens. All of the immunized chickens showed significantly higher mucosal and systemic antibody responses accompanied by a potent antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferative response. Vaccination of chickens with SG ghost preparation offered efficient protection against wild-type SG challenge.

Generation of a safety enhanced Salmonella Gallinarum ghost using antibiotic resistance free plasmid and its potential as an effective inactivated vaccine candidate against fowl typhoid

A safety enhanced Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) ghost was constructed using an antibiotic resistance gene free plasmid and evaluated its potential as fowl typhoid (FT) vaccine candidate. The antibiotic resistance free pYA3342 plasmid possesses aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase gene which is complimentary to the deletion of the chromosomal asd gene in the bacterial host. This plasmid was incorporated with a ghost cassette containing the bacteriophage PhiX174 lysis gene E, designated as pJHL101. The plasmid pJHL101 was transformed into a two virulence genes-deleted SG. The SG ghosts with tunnel formation and loss of cytoplasmic contents were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The cell viability of the culture solution was decreased to 0% at 24h after the induction of gene E expression by an increase in temperature from 37°C to 42°C. The safety and protective efficacy of the SG ghost vaccine was further examined in chickens which were divided into three groups: group A (non-immunized control), group B (orally immunized), and group C (intramuscularly immunized). The birds were immunized at 7d of age. No clinical symptoms associated with FT such as anorexia, depression and greenish diarrhea were observed in the immunized chickens. Upon challenge with a virulent SG strain at 3 week post-immunization, the chickens immunized with the SG ghost via various routes were efficiently protected, as shown by significantly lower mortality and post-mortem lesions in comparison with control group. In addition, all the immunized chickens showed significantly higher antibody responses accompanied by a potent antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferative response along with significantly increased numbers of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes. Overall, our results provide a promising approach of generating SG ghosts using the antibiotic resistance free plasmid in order to prepare a non-living bacterial vaccine candidate which could be environmentally safe yet efficient to prevent FT in chickens.

Safety and efficacy of a metabolic drift live attenuated Salmonella Gallinarum vaccine against fowl typhoid

Fowl typhoid (FT), a systemic disease that results in septicemia in poultry, is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum (SG). Mortality and morbidity rates from FT can reach up to 80%. Attenuated live Salmonella vaccine candidates have received considerable attention because they confer solid immunity, and they can produce systemic and mucosal immunity in the gut when administered orally. In the present study, five metabolic drift (MD) mutants with a single-(designated SG-Rif1, SG-Sm6) or double-attenuating marker (designated SG-Rif1-Sm4, SG-Sm6-Rif10, and SG-Rif1-Sm10) were isolated. The relative colony sizes to wild-type strain after 24 hr at 37 C incubation were 50%, 40%, 30%, 30%, and 20%, respectively. The probability of a back mutation can almost be excluded because the reduced colony sizes were stable after at least 50 passages on culture media. The safety and immunogenicity were evaluated in susceptible 1-day-old commercial layer chickens. After oral administration of 10(8) colony-forming units (CFU), all developed MD mutants proved to be safe and did not cause death of any infected birds during 15 days postvaccination, whereas chickens receiving 10(6) CFU SG wild-type strain showed a high mortality rate (40%). Vaccination of commercial layer chicks with SG-Rif1, SG-Sm6, SG-Rif1-Sm4, and SG-Sm6-Rif10 MD mutants could protect chickens against challenge by homologous wild-type strain; however, SG-Rif1-Sm10 could not protect against challenge, indicating hyperattenuation. In conclusion, vaccination with SG MD mutant vaccine appears to be safe and offers protection against FT in chickens.

Comparative genomic analysis of the genus Nocardiopsis provides new insights into its genetic mechanisms of environmental adaptability

The genus Nocardiopsis, a widespread group in phylum Actinobacteria, has received much attention owing to its ecological versatility, pathogenicity, and ability to produce a rich array of bioactive metabolites. Its high environmental adaptability might be attributable to its genome dynamics, which can be estimated through comparative genomic analysis targeting microorganisms with close phylogenetic relationships but different phenotypes. To shed light on speciation, gene content evolution, and environmental adaptation in these unique actinobacteria, we sequenced draft genomes for 16 representative species of the genus and compared them with that of the type species N. dassonvillei subsp. dassonvillei DSM 43111^T. The core genome of 1,993 orthologous and paralogous gene clusters was identified, and the pan-genomic reservoir was found not only to accommodate more than 22,000 genes, but also to be open. The top ten paralogous genes in terms of copy number could be referred to three functional categories: transcription regulators, transporters, and synthases related to bioactive metabolites. Based on phylogenomic reconstruction, we inferred past evolutionary events, such as gene gains and losses, and identified a list of clade-specific genes implicated in environmental adaptation. These results provided insights into the genetic causes of environmental adaptability in this cosmopolitan actinobacterial group and the contributions made by its inherent features, including genome dynamics and the constituents of core and accessory proteins.

Construction of a Salmonella Gallinarum ghost as a novel inactivated vaccine candidate and its protective efficacy against fowl typhoid in chickens

In order to develop a novel, safe and immunogenic fowl typhoid (FT) vaccine candidate, a Salmonella Gallinarum ghost with controlled expression of the bacteriophage PhiX174 lysis gene E was constructed using pMMP99 plasmid in this study. The formation of the Salmonella Gallinarum ghost with tunnel formation and loss of cytoplasmic contents was observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. No viable cells were detectable 24 h after the induction of gene E expression by an increase in temperature from 37 °C to 42 °C. The safety and protective efficacy of the Salmonella Gallinarum ghost vaccine was tested in chickens that were divided into four groups: group A (non-immunized control), group B (orally immunized), group C (subcutaneously immunized) and group D (intramuscularly immunized). The birds were immunized at day 7 of age. None of the immunized animals showed any adverse reactions such as abnormal behavior, mortality, or signs of FT such as anorexia, depression, or diarrhea. These birds were subsequently challenged with a virulent Salmonella Gallinarum strain at 3 weeks post-immunization (wpi). Significant protection against the virulent challenge was observed in all immunized groups based on mortality and post-mortem lesions compared to the non-immunized control group. In addition, immunization with the Salmonella Gallinarum ghosts induced significantly high systemic IgG response in all immunized groups. Among the groups, orally-vaccinated group B showed significantly higher levels of secreted IgA. A potent antigen-specific lymphocyte activation response along with significantly increased percentages of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes found in all immunized groups clearly indicate the induction of cellular immune responses. Overall, these findings suggest that the newly constructed Salmonella Gallinarum ghost appears to be a safe, highly immunogenic, and efficient non-living bacterial vaccine candidate that protects against FT.

Identification of genes responsible for biofilm formation or virulence in Salmonella enterica serovar pullorum

Salmonella living in biofilms are more resistant to chemical and physical stresses. However, information regarding the regulation of genes involved in biofilm formation for Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum remains limited. In this study, eight mutants with knockout of genes ompR, rpoS, rfaG, rfbH, rhlE, metE, spiA, or steB from the Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum strain S6702 were constructed. Phenotypic analysis revealed that all mutants were similar to the wild-type strain in growth rate. Only the ompR mutant showed a complete loss of production ofcurli and biofilm formation. The other mutants showed a modified production of curli and cellulose with less effect related to biofilm formation. The results of animal experiments indicated that the deletion of genes ompR, spiA, rfaG, or metE in wild-type strains contributed to attenuation of virulence in 1-day-old chickens. This study may bring new insights into novel vaccines or therapeutic interventions against Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum infections.

Evaluation of safety and protection efficacy on cpxR and lon deleted mutant of Salmonella Gallinarum as a live vaccine candidate for fowl typhoid

We evaluated a recently developed live fowl typhoid (FT) vaccine candidate, JOL916, the cpxR/lon mutant of Salmonella Gallinarum (SG), for safety and protection efficacy in 5-week-old layer chickens. Intramuscular vaccination with JOL916 revealed no or very few lesions in livers and spleens of the animals until the fourth week post-vaccination (wpv). This candidate clearly induced cellular immune responses in 5 of 5 chickens on the first and second wpv based on the peripheral lymphocyte proliferation assay. Systemic IgG responses were observed in 5 of 5 chickens from the first wpv and dramatic elevations were observed on the second and third wpv. Vaccination of chickens offered efficient protection against challenge by a wild-type SG; only slight anorexia and depression were temporarily observed after challenge in the vaccinated group while 100% mortality was observed in the positive control group. Body weight increases per day were slightly reduced between the 3rd and 6th day post challenge (dpc) compared to the negative control group; it was recovered from the 6th dpc. Collectively, these results demonstrate the safety and protective efficacy of JOL916 as a live vaccine for systemic FT.

Physiology, pathogenicity and immunogenicity of lon and/or cpxR deleted mutants of Salmonella Gallinarum as vaccine candidates for fowl typhoid

To construct a novel live vaccine candidate for fowl typhoid (FT) caused by Salmonella Gallinarum (SG), the lon and cpxR genes that are related to host-pathogen interaction were deleted from a wild type SG using the allelic exchange method. The mutants were grown normally, as was the wild type. The biochemical properties of the mutants remained very similar to those of the wild-type, while JOL914 (Δlon) and JOL916 (ΔlonΔcpxR) were mucoid. Extracellular polysaccharide increased 30.6-, 1.3-, and 46.2-fold in JOL914, JOL915 (ΔcpxR), and JOL916, respectively. Dot-blot analysis demonstrated significant increases of FimA expression at 6.77-, 2.33-, and 3.90-fold for JOL914, JOL915, and JOL916, respectively. Internalizations of JOL914, JOL915, and JOL916, in chicken abdominal macrophages, were increased at 4.65-, 0.50-, and 2.72-fold, respectively. Virulences of JOL914, JOL915 and JOL916, analyzed by LD₅₀ using 1-week-old chickens, were attenuated approximately at 10¹-, 10¹-, and > 10³-fold, respectively. The oral inoculations of 2 × 10⁷ cfu of the wild type, JOL914, JOL915 and JOL916 caused 55.6, 16.7, 22.2, and 0.0% mortality, respectively. Significantly moderate gross lesions of the liver and spleen were observed in the JOL916 group compared to the other groups. An induced immune response and significant peripheral mononuclear proliferation reaction were observed in the JOL916 group. At the protection against the wild type challenge, JOL916 offered 100% protection. Thus, the results of this study suggest that JOL916 among the mutants studied represented the safest and most effective live vaccine candidate against FT.