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Hillan A, Gibbs T, Weaire-Buchanan G, Brown T, Pang S, McEvoy SP, Parker E. Zoonotic transmission of diphtheria toxin-producing Corynebacterium ulcerans. Zoonoses Public Health 2024; 71:157-169. [PMID: 37957801 DOI: 10.1111/zph.13094] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diphtheria caused by toxin-producing Corynebacterium ulcerans is a re-emerging human disease that can cause local and systemic sequelae. In Australia, toxigenic diphtheria is a rare notifiable communicable disease, due to high-vaccination coverage. The public health management of cutaneous cases of toxigenic C. ulcerans varies between jurisdictions, as opposed to the more uniform public health response to toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae presenting as respiratory or laryngeal diphtheria. AIM To report a case of zoonotically acquired C. ulcerans, review evidence on the zoonotic reservoir and reported transmission events, and examine public health guidelines for the management of human and animal contacts. METHODS AND RESULTS In this case report, we detail our case investigation, treatment and public health management, including contact tracing and an approach to animal testing. We successfully identified companion canines as probable sources for the human case, with WGS confirming the link. The zoonotic disease link of C. ulcerans to domestic and agricultural animals is established in the literature; however, the management of animal contacts in human cases is inconsistent with jurisdictional or national guidelines. CONCLUSIONS While a rare disease, a consistent approach to public health management is warranted to systematically elucidate the disease source and improve understanding of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline Hillan
- Metropolitan Communicable Disease Control, North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tristan Gibbs
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Graham Weaire-Buchanan
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tracy Brown
- Metropolitan Communicable Disease Control, North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Stanley Pang
- Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Suzanne P McEvoy
- Metropolitan Communicable Disease Control, North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Erica Parker
- Metropolitan Communicable Disease Control, North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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2
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Crestani C, Arcari G, Landier A, Passet V, Garnier D, Brémont S, Armatys N, Carmi-Leroy A, Toubiana J, Badell E, Brisse S. Corynebacterium ramonii sp. nov., a novel toxigenic member of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae species complex. Res Microbiol 2023; 174:104113. [PMID: 37572824 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2023.104113] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The Corynebacterium diphtheriae species complex comprises seven bacterial species, including Corynebacterium ulcerans, a zoonotic pathogen from multiple animal species. In this work, we characterise phenotypically and genotypically isolates belonging to two C. ulcerans lineages. Results from phylogenetic analyses, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) and MALDI-TOF spectra differentiate lineage 2 from C. ulcerans lineage 1, which, together with their distinct transmission dynamics (probable human-to-human vs animal-to-human), indicates that lineage 2 is a separate Corynebacterium species, which we propose to name Corynebacterium ramonii. This species is of particular medical interest considering that its human-to-human transmission is likely, and that some C. ramonii isolates carry the diphtheria toxin gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Crestani
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France.
| | - Gabriele Arcari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Annie Landier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Passet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
| | - Dorian Garnier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Brémont
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, French National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the Diphtheriae Complex, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Armatys
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
| | - Annick Carmi-Leroy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, French National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the Diphtheriae Complex, Paris, France
| | - Julie Toubiana
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, French National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the Diphtheriae Complex, Paris, France; Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Edgar Badell
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, French National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the Diphtheriae Complex, Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Brisse
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, French National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the Diphtheriae Complex, Paris, France.
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3
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Sting R, Pölzelbauer C, Eisenberg T, Bonke R, Blazey B, Peters M, Riße K, Sing A, Berger A, Dangel A, Rau J. Corynebacterium ulcerans Infections in Eurasian Beavers ( Castor fiber). Pathogens 2023; 12:979. [PMID: 37623939 PMCID: PMC10459376 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12080979] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) has been reintroduced successfully in Germany since the 1990s. Since wildlife is an important source of zoonotic infectious diseases, monitoring of invasive and reintroduced species is crucial with respect to the One Health approach. Three Eurasian beavers were found dead in the German federal states of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2015, 2021 and 2022, respectively. During post-mortem examinations, Corynebacterium (C.) ulcerans could be isolated from the abscesses of two beavers and from the lungs of one of the animals. Identification of the bacterial isolates at the species level was carried out by spectroscopic analysis using MALDI-TOF MS, FT-IR and biochemical profiles and were verified by molecular analysis based on 16-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Molecular characterization of the C. ulcerans isolates using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed a genome size of about 2.5 Mbp and a GC content of 53.4%. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis classified all three isolates as the sequence type ST-332. A minimum spanning tree (MST) based on cgMLST allelic profiles, including 1211 core genes of the sequenced C. ulcerans isolates, showed that the beaver-derived isolates clearly group on the branch of C. ulcerans with the closest relationship to each other, in close similarity to an isolate from a dog. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed resistance to clindamycin and, in one strain, to erythromycin according to EUCAST, while all isolates were susceptible to the other antimicrobials tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Sting
- Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency (CVUA) Stuttgart, 70736 Fellbach, Germany; (C.P.); (B.B.); (J.R.)
- Consiliary Laboratory for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (DVG), 70736 Fellbach, Germany
| | - Catharina Pölzelbauer
- Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency (CVUA) Stuttgart, 70736 Fellbach, Germany; (C.P.); (B.B.); (J.R.)
| | - Tobias Eisenberg
- Hessian State Laboratory (LHL), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (T.E.); (R.B.); (K.R.)
| | - Rebecca Bonke
- Hessian State Laboratory (LHL), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (T.E.); (R.B.); (K.R.)
| | - Birgit Blazey
- Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency (CVUA) Stuttgart, 70736 Fellbach, Germany; (C.P.); (B.B.); (J.R.)
| | - Martin Peters
- Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office Westfalen, 59821 Arnsberg, Germany;
| | - Karin Riße
- Hessian State Laboratory (LHL), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (T.E.); (R.B.); (K.R.)
| | - Andreas Sing
- Germany National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (A.S.); (A.B.)
| | - Anja Berger
- Germany National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany; (A.S.); (A.B.)
| | - Alexandra Dangel
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany;
| | - Jörg Rau
- Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency (CVUA) Stuttgart, 70736 Fellbach, Germany; (C.P.); (B.B.); (J.R.)
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4
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Museux K, Arcari G, Rodrigo G, Hennart M, Badell E, Toubiana J, Brisse S. Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae Species Complex in Companion Animals: Clinical and Microbiological Characterization of 64 Cases from France. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0000623. [PMID: 37022195 PMCID: PMC10269909 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00006-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae species complex (CdSC) can cause diphtheria in humans and have been reported from companion animals. We aimed to describe animal infection cases caused by CdSC isolates. A total of 18,308 animals (dogs, cats, horses, and small mammals) with rhinitis, dermatitis, nonhealing wounds, and otitis were sampled in metropolitan France (August 2019 to August 2021). Data on symptoms, age, breed, and the administrative region of origin were collected. Cultured bacteria were analyzed for tox gene presence, production of the diphtheria toxin, and antimicrobial susceptibility and were genotyped by multilocus sequence typing. Corynebacterium ulcerans was identified in 51 cases, 24 of which were toxigenic. Rhinitis was the most frequent presentation (18/51). Eleven cases (6 cats, 4 dogs, and 1 rat) were monoinfections. Large-breed dogs, especially German shepherds (9 of 28 dogs; P < 0.00001), were overrepresented. C. ulcerans isolates were susceptible to all tested antibiotics. tox-positive C. diphtheriae was identified in 2 horses. Last, 11 infections cases (9 dogs and 2 cats; mostly chronic otitis and 2 sores) had tox-negative C. rouxii, a recently defined species. C. rouxii and C. diphtheriae isolates were susceptible to most antibiotics tested, and almost all of these infections were polymicrobial. Monoinfections with C. ulcerans point toward a primary pathogenic potential to animals. C. ulcerans represents an important zoonotic risk, and C. rouxii may represent a novel zoonotic agent. This case series provides novel clinical and microbiological data on CdSC infections and underlines the need for management of animals and their human contacts. IMPORTANCE We report on the occurrence and clinical and microbiological characteristics of infections caused by members of the CdSC in companion animals. This is the first study based on the systematic analysis of a very large animal cohort (18,308 samples), which provides data on the frequency of CdSC isolates in various types of clinical samples from animals. Awareness of this zoonotic bacterial group remains low among veterinarians and veterinary laboratories, among which it is often considered commensal in animals. We suggest that in the case of CdSC detection in animals, the veterinary laboratories should be encouraged to send the samples to a reference laboratory for analysis of the presence of the tox gene. This work is relevant to the development of guidelines in the case of CdSC infections in animals and underlines their public health relevance given the zoonotic transmission risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gabriele Arcari
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
| | | | - Melanie Hennart
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
- Collège doctoral, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Edgar Badell
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae complex, Paris, France
| | - Julie Toubiana
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae complex, Paris, France
- Department of General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, APHP, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Brisse
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biodiversity and Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, National Reference Center for Corynebacteria of the diphtheriae complex, Paris, France
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5
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Abbott Y, Efstratiou A, Brennan G, Hallanan S, Leggett B, Leonard FC, Markey BK, Tuite C, Fry NK. Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans associated with upper respiratory infections in cats and dogs. J Small Anim Pract 2020; 61:554-560. [PMID: 32734615 DOI: 10.1111/jsap.13185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe infection in companion animals with the zoonotic pathogen Corynebacterium ulcerans and to determine its prevalence in clinically-affected and healthy animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS The clinical presentation and treatment of three cases of C. ulcerans infection is described. Two studies to determine C. ulcerans prevalence rates were undertaken: (a) a prospective study of nasal samples from healthy animals, 479 dogs and 72 cats; (b) a retrospective analysis of records of nasal samples collected over a 10-year period from 189 dogs and 64 cats affected by respiratory signs. RESULTS Toxigenic C. ulcerans was isolated from four cats with nasal discharge while concurrent C. ulcerans and mecC methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection was detected in a dog suffering from chronic nasal discharge. Clinical features were not distinctive and all cases recovered following antimicrobial treatment. Multilocus sequence typing supported a common source for isolates from the shelter cats. Carriage rates of C. ulcerans in healthy animals were 0.42% (2/479) in dogs and 0.00% (0/72) in cats whereas in animals with signs of upper respiratory tract infection prevalence rates were 0.53% (1/189) in dogs and 6.25% (4/64) in cats. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Clinicians should be aware that dogs and cats can be infected with (or carriers of) toxigenic C. ulcerans Considering the potential zoonotic risk, assistance from medical and public health colleagues should be sought in confirmed cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Abbott
- Veterinary Pathobiology Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, D04 W6F6, Ireland
| | - A Efstratiou
- WHO Global Reference Centre for Diphtheria and Streptococcal Infections, Public Health England, National Infection Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - G Brennan
- National MRSA Reference Laboratory, St. James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - S Hallanan
- Riverforest Veterinary Centre, Riverforest Court, Captain's Hill, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, W23 A5N4, Ireland
| | - B Leggett
- Veterinary Pathobiology Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, D04 W6F6, Ireland
| | - F C Leonard
- Veterinary Pathobiology Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, D04 W6F6, Ireland
| | - B K Markey
- Veterinary Pathobiology Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, D04 W6F6, Ireland
| | - C Tuite
- Fairview Veterinary Hospital, 13 Fairview Strand, Dublin, D03 P27, Ireland
| | - N K Fry
- Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Section, Public Health England, National Infection Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ, UK.,Immunisation and Countermeasures Division, Public Health England, National Infection Service, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ, UK
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6
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Phylogenomic characterisation of a novel corynebacterial species pathogenic to animals. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2020; 113:1225-1239. [PMID: 32500295 PMCID: PMC7334274 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-020-01430-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The genus Corynebacterium includes species of biotechnological, medical and veterinary importance. An atypical C. ulcerans strain, W25, was recently isolated from a case of necrotizing lymphadenitis in a wild boar. In this study, we have analysed the genome sequence of this strain and compared the phenotypic and virulence properties with other corynebacterial pathogens. Phylogenomic analyses revealed that strain W25 belongs to a novel species along with PO100/5 and KL1196. The latter strains were isolated from a pig and a roe deer, respectively; hence, this species appears to be associated to animals. The isolate W25 is likely a non-toxigenic tox gene bearing strain and may have compromised abilities to adhere to pharyngeal and laryngeal epithelial cells due to potential loss of the gene functions in spaBC and spaDEF pilus gene clusters. A number of corynebacterial virulence genes are present including pld encoding phospholipase D. Therefore, this strain may be able to cause severe invasive infections in animals and zoonotic infections in humans.
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7
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Induction of Necrosis in Human Macrophage Cell Lines by Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans Strains Isolated from Fatal Cases of Systemic Infections. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20174109. [PMID: 31443569 PMCID: PMC6747468 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
When infecting a human host, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans are able to impair macrophage maturation and induce cell death. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. As a framework for this project, a combination of fluorescence microscopy, cytotoxicity assays, live cell imaging, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting was applied to understand the pathogenicity of two Corynebacterium strains isolated from fatal cases of systemic infections. The results showed a clear cytotoxic effect of the bacteria. The observed survival of the pathogens in macrophages and, subsequent, necrotic lysis of cells may be mechanisms explaining dissemination of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans to distant organs in the body.
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8
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Berger A, Dangel A, Peters M, Mühldorfer K, Braune S, Eisenberg T, Szentiks CA, Rau J, Konrad R, Hörmansdorfer S, Ackermann N, Sing A. Tox-positive Corynebacterium ulcerans in hedgehogs, Germany . Emerg Microbes Infect 2019; 8:211-217. [PMID: 30866774 PMCID: PMC6455118 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2018.1562312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans may cause both respiratory and cutaneous diphtheria in humans. As a zoonotic emerging pathogen it has been isolated from a wide variety of animals living in captivity, such as livestock, pet, zoo and research animals and additionally in a large number of different wild animals. Here we report the isolation of tox-positive C. ulcerans in four hedgehogs with cutaneous diphtheria and pneumonia, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Berger
- a National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Oberschleißheim , Germany.,b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Alexandra Dangel
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Martin Peters
- c Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Westfalen , Arnsberg , Germany
| | | | - Silke Braune
- e Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety , Food and Veterinary Institute , Hannover , Germany
| | | | | | - Jörg Rau
- g Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart , Fellbach , Germany
| | - Regina Konrad
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Stefan Hörmansdorfer
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Nikolaus Ackermann
- b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
| | - Andreas Sing
- a National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Oberschleißheim , Germany.,b MA DTM&H, National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria , Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority , Oberschleißheim , Germany
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9
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Weerasekera D, Möller J, Kraner ME, Azevedo Antunes C, Mattos-Guaraldi AL, Burkovski A. Beyond diphtheria toxin: cytotoxic proteins of Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2019; 165:876-890. [PMID: 31162026 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Diphtheria toxin is one of the best investigated bacterial toxins and the major virulence factor of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans strains. However, also diphtheria toxin-free strains of these two species can cause severe infections in animals and humans, indicating the presence of additional virulence factors. In this study, we present a first characterization of two proteins with cytotoxic effect in corynebacteria. A putative ribosome-binding protein (AEG80717, CULC809_00177), first annotated in a genome sequencing project of C. ulcerans strain 809, was investigated in detail together with a homologous protein identified in C. diphtheriae strain HC04 (AEX80148, CDHC04_0155) in this study. The corresponding proteins show striking structural similarity to Shiga-like toxins. Interaction of wild-type, mutant and complementation as well as overexpression strains with invertebrate model systems and cell lines were investigated. Depending on the presence of the corresponding genes, detrimental effects were observed in vivo in two invertebrate model systems, Caenorhabditis elegans and Galleria mellonella, and on various animal and human epithelial and macrophage cell lines in vitro. Taken together, our results support the idea that pathogenicity of corynebacteria is a multifactorial process and that new virulence factors may influence the outcome of potentially fatal corynebacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulanthi Weerasekera
- > Microbiology Division, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jens Möller
- > Microbiology Division, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Max Edmund Kraner
- Biochemistry Division, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Camila Azevedo Antunes
- > Microbiology Division, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Laboratory of Diphtheria and Corynebacteria of Clinical Relevance-LDCIC, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Luiza Mattos-Guaraldi
- Laboratory of Diphtheria and Corynebacteria of Clinical Relevance-LDCIC, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- > Microbiology Division, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
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10
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Othieno R, Mark K, Etherson M, Foster G, Murray S, Kalima P, Fry NK, Cameron C, Strachan J. A case of cutaneous toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans likely acquired from a domestic dog. Access Microbiol 2019; 1:e000025. [PMID: 32974539 PMCID: PMC7481734 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Corynebacterium ulcerans can produce diphtheria toxin and although still rare, is now the predominant cause of toxigenic diphtheria infection in the UK, making this organism of great clinical and public health importance. Here we describe a cutaneous case, likely secondary to domestic animal contact. Case presentation A 60-year-old female presented with a slow-healing finger-burn wound. A skin swab cultured Corynebacterium ulcerans, which was confirmed to be toxin producing. She resided with her partner and two dogs, one of which had a chronic skin lesion. Her most recent diphtheria vaccine was in 2009. Four close contacts were identified, two of whom were healthcare professionals, and nose and throat swabs were obtained. The patient was treated with clarithromycin (14 day course), diphtheria vaccine and excluded from work until completion of antibiotics and negative clearance swabs. Contacts were given erythromycin (7 day course), vaccinated and healthcare worker contacts excluded from work until swab negative. A veterinary practitioner swabbed the throats and a skin lesion of their dogs. One contact (partner of patient) and all dog swabs were positive. Partial allelic profiles from MLST supported an epidemiological link. The dogs were treated with antibiotics and antimicrobial skin wash. Repeat swabs for the index case, contact and both dogs were negative following treatment. Conclusion This was a rare case of cutaneous diphtheria secondary to Corynebacterium ulcerans with domestic animals the most likely source, although human-to-human contact could not be excluded, with important human and animal public health implications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate Mark
- National Health Services (NHS) Lothian, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | | | - Pota Kalima
- National Health Services (NHS) Lothian, Edinburgh, UK
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11
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Proteomics of diphtheria toxoid vaccines reveals multiple proteins that are immunogenic and may contribute to protection of humans against Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Vaccine 2019; 37:3061-3070. [PMID: 31036455 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.04.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Introduced for mass immunization in the 1920s, vaccines against diphtheria are among the oldest and safest vaccines known. The basic principle of their production is the inactivation of purified diphtheria toxin by formaldehyde cross-linking, which converts the potentially fatal toxin in a completely harmless protein aggregate, which is still immunogenic. Since in addition to diphtheria toxin also other proteins may be secreted by Corynebacterium diphtheriae during cultivation, we assumed that diphtheria toxoid might not be the only component present in the vaccine. To address this question, we established a protocol to reverse formaldehyde cross-linking and carried out mass spectrometric analyses. Different secreted, membrane-associated and cytoplasmic proteins of C. diphtheriae were detected in several vaccine preparations from across the world. Based on these results, bioinformatics and Western blot analyses were applied to characterize if these proteins are immunogenic and may therefore support protection against C. diphtheriae. In frame of this study, we could show that the C. diphtheriae toxoid vaccines induce antibodies against different C. diphtheriae proteins and against diphtheria toxin secreted by Corynebacterium ulcerans, an emerging pathogen which is outnumbering C. diphtheriae as cause of diphtheria-like illness in Western Europe.
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Surface and Extracellular Proteome of the Emerging Pathogen Corynebacterium ulcerans. Proteomes 2018; 6:proteomes6020018. [PMID: 29673200 PMCID: PMC6027474 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes6020018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium ulcerans is an emerging pathogen, which is increasingly recognized as an etiological agent of diphtheria, but can also evoke ulcers of the skin and systemic infections in humans. Besides man, the bacteria can colonize a wide variety of different animals, including cattle and pet animals, which might serve as a reservoir for human infections. In this study, surface-located proteins and the exoproteome of two Corynebacterium ulcerans strains were analyzed, since these may have key roles in the interaction of the pathogen with host cells. Strain 809 was isolated from a fatal case of human respiratory tract infection, while strain BR-AD22 was isolated from a nasal swap of an asymptomatic dog. While a very similar pattern of virulence factors was observed in the culture supernatant and surface protein fractions of the two strains, proteome analyses revealed a higher stability of 809 cells compared to strain BR-AD22. During exponential growth, 17% of encoded proteins of strain 809 were detectable in the medium, while 38% of the predicted proteins encoded by the BR-AD22 chromosome were found. Furthermore, the data indicate differential expression of phospholipase D and a cell wall-associated hydrolase, since these were only detected in strain BR-AD22.
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13
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Carfora V, Scarampella F, Iurescia M, Donati V, Stravino F, Lorenzetti S, Menichini E, Franco A, Caprioli A, Battisti A. Non-toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans sequence types 325 and 339 isolated from two dogs with ulcerative lesions in Italy. J Vet Diagn Invest 2018. [PMID: 29528813 DOI: 10.1177/1040638718764786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium ulcerans, an emerging pathogen related to C. diphtheriae and C. pseudotuberculosis, is able to cause disease in both human and animal hosts. C. ulcerans may harbor acquired virulence factors such as dermonecrotic exotoxin phospholipase D (PLD) and the prophage-encoded diphtheria toxin (DT). Infections typically occur in persons reporting close contact with animals. In pets, C. ulcerans has been isolated from both asymptomatic carriers and clinically affected dogs and cats. We describe the isolation and characterization of C. ulcerans strains from 2 pet dogs with ulcerative lesions in Italy. The 2 isolates tested negative for both DT genes, but were PLD-producers and belonged to sequence types (STs) 325 and 339. These 2 cases highlight that C. ulcerans cutaneous infections might be underestimated in pets, given that many veterinary laboratories do not routinely consider and/or identify Corynebacterium species from cutaneous samples. Early detection and molecular typing of C. ulcerans is essential in order to implement effective treatment and to prevent diffusion and possible zoonotic transmission of certain STs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Carfora
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Fabia Scarampella
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Manuela Iurescia
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Valentina Donati
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Fiorentino Stravino
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Serena Lorenzetti
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Erika Menichini
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Alessia Franco
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Andrea Caprioli
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
| | - Antonio Battisti
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Latium and Tuscany "M. Aleandri", General Diagnostic Department, Rome, Italy (Carfora, Iurescia, Donati, Stravino, Lorenzetti, Menichini, Franco, Caprioli, Battisti).,Animal Dermatology Practice, Milan, Italy (Scarampella)
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14
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Sellyei B, Bányai K, Bartha D, Hajtós I, Fodor L, Makrai L. Multilocus Sequencing of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Biotype Ovis Strains. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 2017:1762162. [PMID: 29159175 PMCID: PMC5660753 DOI: 10.1155/2017/1762162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Thirteen Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biotype ovis strains isolated from clinical cases of caseous lymphadenitis in Hungary were characterised using multilocus sequencing and their phylogenetic comparison was carried out on the basis of four housekeeping genes (groEL1, infB, dnaK, and leuA). The in silico analysis of the 16 frequently studied housekeeping genes showed that C. pseudotuberculosis strains could be readily distinguished from C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans strains; however, sequences of the same genes in the two biotypes of the C. pseudotuberculosis were highly similar; the heterogeneity values were low. Genes dnaK, infB, groEL1, and leuA showed marked genetic variation within C. pseudotuberculosis, and strains of the two biotypes of C. pseudotuberculosis could be differentiated. Analysis of the individual genes showed a fairly conservative nature of C. pseudotuberculosis biotype ovis strains. The greatest genetic differentiation was seen in the dnaK and infB genes and concatenations of these two genes were very useful in the genetic separation of the studied strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boglárka Sellyei
- CAR, HAS, Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, P.O. Box 18, Budapest 1581, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Bányai
- CAR, HAS, Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, P.O. Box 18, Budapest 1581, Hungary
| | - Dániel Bartha
- CAR, HAS, Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, P.O. Box 18, Budapest 1581, Hungary
| | - István Hajtós
- Government Office for Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Vologda U. 1, Miskolc 3525, Hungary
| | - László Fodor
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 22, Budapest 1581, Hungary
| | - László Makrai
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 22, Budapest 1581, Hungary
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15
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Katsukawa C, Komiya T, Umeda K, Goto M, Yanai T, Takahashi M, Yamamoto A, Iwaki M. Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans isolated from a hunting dog and its diphtheria toxin antibody titer. Microbiol Immunol 2017; 60:177-86. [PMID: 26853714 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans is a zoonotic pathogen that produces diphtheria toxin and causes a diphtheria-like illness in humans. The organism is known to infect and circulate among dogs, which can then transmit it to humans. Furthermore, previous studies have found that C. ulcerans is carried by wild animals, including game animals. In the present study, we tested hunting and companion dogs for the presence of toxigenic C. ulcerans and succeeded in isolating the bacterium from a hunting dog. Moreover, several hunting dogs had serum diphtheria antitoxin titers that were higher than the titers required for protection in humans, suggesting a history of exposure to toxigenic Corynebacterium strains. Notably, ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and tox gene sequencing demonstrated that the isolate from the hunting dog clustered with previously characterized C. ulcerans strains isolated from wild animals, as opposed to groups of isolates from humans and companion dogs. Interestingly, the wild animal cluster also contains an isolate from an outdoor breeding dog, which could have formed a bridge between isolates from wild animals and those from companion dogs. The results presented herein provide insight into the mechanism by which the zoonotic pathogen C. ulcerans circulates among wild animals, hunting and companion dogs, and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Katsukawa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 1-3-69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 537-0025
| | - Takako Komiya
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011
| | - Kaoru Umeda
- Department of Microbiology, Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 8-34 Tojo-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 543-0026
| | - Minami Goto
- Department of Pathogenetic Veterinary Sciences, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu-shi, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Tokuma Yanai
- Department of Pathogenetic Veterinary Sciences, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu-shi, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Motohide Takahashi
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011
| | - Akihiko Yamamoto
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011
| | - Masaaki Iwaki
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011
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16
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Hacker E, Antunes CA, Mattos-Guaraldi AL, Burkovski A, Tauch A. Corynebacterium ulcerans, an emerging human pathogen. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:1191-208. [PMID: 27545005 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
While formerly known infections of Corynebacterium ulcerans are rare and mainly associated with contact to infected cattle, C. ulcerans has become an emerging pathogen today. In Western Europe, cases of respiratory diphtheria caused by C. ulcerans have been reported more often than infections by Corynebacterium diphtheria, while systemic infections are also increasingly reported. Little is known about factors that contribute to host colonization and virulence of this zoonotic pathogen. Research in this field has received new impetus by the publication of several C. ulcerans genome sequences in the past years. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the basic knowledge of C. ulcerans, as well as the recent advances made in the analysis of putative virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Hacker
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Camila A Antunes
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Laboratory of Diphtheria and Clinically Important Corynebacteria (LDCIC), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana L Mattos-Guaraldi
- Laboratory of Diphtheria and Clinically Important Corynebacteria (LDCIC), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- Professur für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Tauch
- Centrum für Biotechnologie, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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17
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Katsukawa C, Umeda K, Inamori I, Kosono Y, Tanigawa T, Komiya T, Iwaki M, Yamamoto A, Nakatsu S. Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans isolated from a wild bird (ural owl) and its feed (shrew-moles): comparison of molecular types with human isolates. BMC Res Notes 2016; 9:181. [PMID: 27000873 PMCID: PMC4802582 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-016-1979-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Corynebacterium ulcerans is a pathogen causing diphtheria-like illness to humans. In contrast to diphtheria by Corynebacterium diphtheriae circulating mostly among humans, C. ulcerans infection is zoonotic. The present study aimed to clarify how a zoonotic pathogen C. ulcerans circulates among wild birds and animals. RESULTS By screening 380 birds, a single strain of toxigenic C. ulcerans was isolated from a carnivorous bird, ural owl (Strix uralensis). The bacterium was also isolated from two individuals of Japanese shrew-mole (Urotrichus talpoides), a food preference of the owl. Analysis by ribotyping showed that the owl and mole isolates were classified in a group, suggesting that C. ulcerans can be transmissible among wild birds and their prey animals. Moreover, our isolates were found to belong to a group of previously reported C. ulcerans isolates from dogs and a cat, which are known to serve as sources for human infection. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that the shrew-mole may be a potential reservoir of a zoonotic pathogen C. ulcerans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Katsukawa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 1-3-69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 537-0025, Japan
| | - Kaoru Umeda
- Department of Microbiology, Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 8-34 Tojo-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 543-0026, Japan
| | - Ikuko Inamori
- Nature Conservation Club of Soenji, 1-20-11 Himurodai, Hirakata-Shi, Osaka, 573-0115, Japan
| | - Yuka Kosono
- Bird Bander, 5-17 Suganodai, Nara-Shi, Nara, 631-0043, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Tanigawa
- Wild Living Thing Society of Hirakata, 1-24-10, Tanokuchiyama, Hirakata-Shi, Osaka, 573-0001, Japan
| | - Takako Komiya
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Masaaki Iwaki
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.
| | - Akihiko Yamamoto
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.,Division of Biosafety Control and Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Susumu Nakatsu
- Nakatsu Animal Hospital, 2-2-15 Shorinji-cho nishi, Sakai-ku, Sakai-Shi, Osaka, 590-0960, Japan
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18
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Hacker E, Ott L, Schulze-Luehrmann J, Lührmann A, Wiesmann V, Wittenberg T, Burkovski A. The killing of macrophages by Corynebacterium ulcerans. Virulence 2015; 7:45-55. [PMID: 26632348 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2015.1125068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium ulcerans is an emerging pathogen transmitted by a zoonotic pathway with a very broad host spectrum to humans. Despite rising numbers of infections and potentially fatal outcomes, data on the molecular basis of pathogenicity are scarce. In this study, the interaction of 2 C. ulcerans isolates - one from an asymptomatic dog, one from a fatal case of human infection - with human macrophages was investigated. C. ulcerans strains were able to survive in macrophages for at least 20 hours. Uptake led to delay of phagolysosome maturation and detrimental effects on the macrophages as deduced from cytotoxicity measurements and FACS analyses. The data presented here indicate a high infectious potential of this emerging pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Hacker
- a Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Professur für Mikrobiologie ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Lisa Ott
- a Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Professur für Mikrobiologie ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Jan Schulze-Luehrmann
- b Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Universitätsklinikum Erlangen; Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie; Immunologie und Hygiene ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Anja Lührmann
- b Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Universitätsklinikum Erlangen; Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie; Immunologie und Hygiene ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Veit Wiesmann
- c Fraunhofer Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen (IIS) ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Thomas Wittenberg
- c Fraunhofer Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen (IIS) ; Erlangen , Germany
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- a Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Professur für Mikrobiologie ; Erlangen , Germany
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19
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Hacker E, Ott L, Hasselt K, Mattos-Guaraldi AL, Tauch A, Burkovski A. Colonization of human epithelial cell lines by Corynebacterium ulcerans from human and animal sources. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2015; 161:1582-1591. [PMID: 26066797 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Corynebacterium ulcerans is an emerging pathogen transmitted by a zoonotic pathway to humans. Despite rising numbers of infections and potentially fatal outcomes, data on the colonization of the human host are lacking up to now. In this study, adhesion of two C. ulcerans isolates to human epithelial cells, invasion of host cells and the function of two putative virulence factors with respect to these processes were investigated. C. ulcerans strains BR-AD22 and 809 were able to adhere to Detroit562 and HeLa cells, and invade these epithelial cell lines with a rate comparable to other pathogens as shown by scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and replication assays. Infection led to detrimental effects on the cells as deduced from measurements of transepithelial resistance. Mutant strains of putative virulence factors phospholipase D and DIP0733 homologue CULC22_00609 generated in this study showed no influence on colonization under the experimental conditions tested. The data presented here indicate a high infectious potential of this emerging pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Hacker
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lisa Ott
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | - Andreas Tauch
- Centrum für Biotechnologie, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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20
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Antunes JMADP, Ribeiro MG, Demoner LDC, Ramos JN, Baio PVP, Simpson-Louredo L, Santos CS, Hirata R, Ferioli RB, Romera ARC, Vieira VV, Mattos-Guaraldi AL. Cutaneous abscess caused by Corynebacterium lactis in a companion dog. Vet Microbiol 2015; 178:163-6. [PMID: 25937144 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many new, emerging and re-emerging diseases of humans are caused by pathogens which originate from animals or products of animal origin. Corynebacterium lactis, a recently described species of the genus Corynebacterium, was first isolated from milk of asymptomatic cows. In the present study a cutaneous abscess caused by C. lactis in a dog was recognized by cytologic and histologic examination in addition to 16S rRNA gene analysis of the microorganism. Therefore, C. lactis should be included among other bacterial species recognized as emerging pathogens for companion animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Márcio Garcia Ribeiro
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Departmento de Veterinaria, Higiene e Saúde Pública, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
| | | | - Juliana Nunes Ramos
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - IOC/Fiocruz, Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Microrganismos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde-INCQS/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Paulo Victor Pereira Baio
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde-INCQS/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Liliane Simpson-Louredo
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde-INCQS/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Cíntia Silva Santos
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Raphael Hirata
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Verônica Viana Vieira
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - IOC/Fiocruz, Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Microrganismos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde-INCQS/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Ana Luíza Mattos-Guaraldi
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas FCM/UERJ, Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica-LDCIC, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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21
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Eisenberg T, Mauder N, Contzen M, Rau J, Ewers C, Schlez K, Althoff G, Schauerte N, Geiger C, Margos G, Konrad R, Sing A. Outbreak with clonally related isolates of Corynebacterium ulcerans in a group of water rats. BMC Microbiol 2015; 15:42. [PMID: 25887321 PMCID: PMC4342102 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-015-0384-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The zoonotic bacterium Corynebacterium ulcerans may be pathogenic both in humans and animals: toxigenic strains can cause diphtheria or diphtheria-like disease in humans via diphtheria toxin, while strains producing the dermonecrotic exotoxin phospholipase D may lead to caseous lymphadenitis primarily in wild animals. Diphtheria toxin-positive Corynebacterium ulcerans strains have been isolated mainly from cattle, dogs and cats. Results Here, we report a series of ten isolations of Corynebacterium ulcerans from a group of water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster) with ulcerative skin lesions, which were kept in a zoo. The isolates were clearly assigned to species level by biochemical identification systems, Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and partial rpoB sequencing, respectively. All ten isolates turned out to represent the same sequence type, strongly indicating a cluster of infections by clonally-related isolates as could be demonstrated for the first time for this species using multilocus sequence typing. Unequivocal demonstration of high relatedness of the isolates could also be demonstrated by Fourier-transform infrared-spectroscopy. All isolates were lacking the diphtheria toxin encoding tox-gene, but were phospholipase D-positive. Conclusions Our results indicate that water rats represent a suitable new host species that is prone to infection and must be regarded as a reservoir for potentially zoonotic Corynebacterium ulcerans. Furthermore, the applied methods demonstrated persistent infection as well as a very close relationship between all ten isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Eisenberg
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Norman Mauder
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Matthias Contzen
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Jörg Rau
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstr. 3/2, 70736, Fellbach, Germany.
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 85-89, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Karen Schlez
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Gisa Althoff
- Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Schubertstr. 60, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Nicole Schauerte
- Zoo Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Christina Geiger
- Zoo Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Gabriele Margos
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Regina Konrad
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Andreas Sing
- National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
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22
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Boschert V, Berger A, Konrad R, Huber I, Hörmansdorfer S, Zöls S, Eddicks M, Ritzmann M, Sing A. Corynebacterium species nasal carriage in pigs and their farmers in Bavaria, Germany: implications for public health. Vet Rec 2014; 175:248. [PMID: 25037890 DOI: 10.1136/vr.102634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Reports on cases of human diphtheria caused by toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans that were linked to occupational swine contact as well as isolation of C ulcerans from wild boars have suggested that pigs might serve as reservoir for human infections. Therefore, a prevalence study on Corynebacterium species nasal carriage in pigs and their farmers was performed between August 1 and December 31, 2009, in 41 swine farms from Bavaria, Germany. All 411 asymptomatic pigs and 29 of 30 healthy farmers were colonised with Corynebacterium strains of up to 11 different species. No potentially toxigenic Corynebacterium strain was isolated either from the pigs or from their farmers, respectively. The patterns of the species composition in the pigs and the farmers were very similar, suggesting a potential transmission of strains between animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Boschert
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany Clinic for Swine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - A Berger
- National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - R Konrad
- National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - I Huber
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - S Hörmansdorfer
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - S Zöls
- Clinic for Swine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - M Eddicks
- Clinic for Swine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - M Ritzmann
- Clinic for Swine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
| | - A Sing
- National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim 85764, Germany
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23
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Simpson-Louredo L, Ramos JN, Peixoto RS, Santos LS, Antunes CA, Ladeira EM, Santos CS, Vieira VV, Bôas MHSV, Hirata R, Mattos-Guaraldi AL. Corynebacterium ulcerans isolates from humans and dogs: fibrinogen, fibronectin and collagen-binding, antimicrobial and PFGE profiles. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2013; 105:343-52. [PMID: 24281735 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-013-0080-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 11/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Corynebacterium ulcerans has been increasingly isolated as an emerging zoonotic agent of diphtheria and other infections from companion animals. Since pets are able to act as symptomless carriers, it is also essential to identify virulence potential for humans of these isolates. In this work the ability of C. ulcerans to bind to fibrinogen (Fbg), fibronectin (Fn) and Type I collagen as well the genetic relationship among strains isolated from human and asymptomatic dogs in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) were analyzed. Five pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles were demonstrated (I, II, III, IV and V). In addition, the IV and V profiles exhibiting ≥85 % similarity were expressed by the BR-AD41 and BR-AD61 strains from companion dogs living in the same neighborhood. Independent of the PFGE-types, human and dog isolates showed affinity to Fbg, Fn and collagen. Heterogeneity of PFGE profiles indicated endemicity of C. ulcerans in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. Differences in the expression of adhesins to the human extracellular matrix may contribute to variations in the virulence and zoonotic potential of C. ulcerans strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliane Simpson-Louredo
- Laboratory of Diphtheria and Corynebacteria of Clinical Relevance-LDCIC, Collaborating Center for Diphtheria of CGLAB/SVS/MS, School of Medical Sciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro-UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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24
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Torres LDFC, Ribeiro D, Hirata R, Pacheco LGC, Souza MC, dos Santos LS, dos Santos CS, Salah M, da Costa MM, Ribeiro MG, Selim SA, Azevedo VADC, Mattos-Guaraldi AL. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction to identify and determine the toxigenicity of Corynebacterium spp with zoonotic potential and an overview of human and animal infections. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2013; 108:S0074-02762013000300272. [PMID: 23778659 PMCID: PMC4005569 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762013000300003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2012] [Accepted: 09/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis constitute a group of potentially toxigenic microorganisms that are related to different infectious processes in animal and human hosts. Currently, there is a lack of information on the prevalence of disease caused by these pathogens, which is partially due to a reduction in the frequency of routine laboratory testing. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) assay that can simultaneously identify and determine the toxigenicity of these corynebacterial species with zoonotic potential was developed. This assay uses five primer pairs targeting the following genes: rpoB (Corynebacterium spp), 16S rRNA (C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis), pld (C. pseudotuberculosis), dtxR (C. diphtheriae) and tox [diphtheria toxin (DT) ]. In addition to describing this assay, we review the literature regarding the diseases caused by these pathogens. Of the 213 coryneform strains tested, the mPCR results for all toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of C . diphtheriae, C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis were in 100% agreement with the results of standard biochemical tests and PCR-DT. As an alternative to conventional methods, due to its advantages of specificity and speed, the mPCR assay used in this study may successfully be applied for the diagnosis of human and/or animal diseases caused by potentially toxigenic corynebacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciene de Fátima Costa Torres
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Dayana Ribeiro
- Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Raphael Hirata
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Monica Cristina Souza
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Louisy Sanches dos Santos
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Cíntia Silva dos Santos
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Mohammad Salah
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade do Cairo, Giza, Egito
| | | | - Marcio Garcia Ribeiro
- Departamento de Higiene Veterinária e Saúde Pública, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brasil
| | - Salah A Selim
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade do Cairo, Giza, Egito
| | | | - Ana Luiza Mattos-Guaraldi
- Laboratório de Difteria e Corinebactérias de Importância Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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25
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Dias AADSDO, Santos LS, Sabbadini PS, Santos CS, Silva Junior FC, Napoleão F, Nagao PE, Villas-Bôas MHS, Hirata Junior R, Guaraldi ALM. Corynebacterium ulcerans diphtheria: an emerging zoonosis in Brazil and worldwide. Rev Saude Publica 2012; 45:1176-91. [PMID: 22124745 DOI: 10.1590/s0034-89102011000600021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2010] [Accepted: 05/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The article is a literature review on the emergence of human infections caused by Corynebacterium ulcerans in many countries including Brazil. Articles in Medline/PubMed and SciELO databases published between 1926 and 2011 were reviewed, as well as articles and reports of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is presented a fast, cost-effective and easy to perform screening test for the presumptive diagnosis of C. ulcerans and C. diphtheriae infections in most Brazilian public and private laboratories. C. ulcerans spread in many countries and recent isolation of this pathogen in Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, is a warning to clinicians, veterinarians, and microbiologists on the occurrence of zoonotic diphtheria and C. ulcerans dissemination in urban and rural areas of Brazil and/or Latin America.
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26
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Sekizuka T, Yamamoto A, Komiya T, Kenri T, Takeuchi F, Shibayama K, Takahashi M, Kuroda M, Iwaki M. Corynebacterium ulcerans 0102 carries the gene encoding diphtheria toxin on a prophage different from the C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129 prophage. BMC Microbiol 2012; 12:72. [PMID: 22583953 PMCID: PMC3406963 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Corynebacterium ulcerans can cause a diphtheria-like illness, especially when the bacterium is lysogenized with a tox gene-carrying bacteriophage that produces diphtheria toxin. Acquisition of toxigenicity upon phage lysogenization is a common feature of C. ulcerans and C. diphtheriae. However, because of a lack of C. ulcerans genome information, a detailed comparison of prophages has not been possible between these two clinically important and closely related bacterial species. Results We determined the whole genome sequence of the toxigenic C. ulcerans 0102 isolated in Japan. The genomic sequence showed a striking similarity with that of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and, to a lesser extent, with that of C. diphtheriae. The 0102 genome contained three distinct prophages. One of these, ΦCULC0102-I, was a tox-positive prophage containing genes in the same structural order as for tox-positive C. diphtheriae prophages. However, the primary structures of the individual genes involved in the phage machinery showed little homology between the two counterparts. Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest that the tox-positive prophage in this strain of C. ulcerans has a distinct origin from that of C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Sekizuka
- Laboratory of Bacterial Genomics, Pathogen Genomics Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
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27
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Katsukawa C, Komiya T, Yamagishi H, Ishii A, Nishino S, Nagahama S, Iwaki M, Yamamoto A, Takahashi M. Prevalence of Corynebacterium ulcerans in dogs in Osaka, Japan. J Med Microbiol 2011; 61:266-273. [PMID: 21921111 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.034868-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Diphtheria-like human illness caused by Corynebacterium ulcerans is an emerging threat in developed countries, with incidence sometimes higher than that of diphtheria caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Companion animals are considered a potential source of human infections. In order to determine the prevalence of C. ulcerans among dogs, we performed a screening for the bacterium in 583 dogs in the custody of the Osaka Prefectural government. Forty-four dogs (7.5 %) were positive for the bacterium, although they did not show any clinical symptoms. All bacterial isolates showed resistance or decreased sensitivity to clindamycin, and some showed decreased sensitivity to levofloxacin. Comparative analysis of isolates using PFGE, toxin gene typing and antibiotic sensitivities suggests that transmission between asymptomatic dogs might have occurred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Katsukawa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takako Komiya
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Atsushi Ishii
- Osaka Prefectural Dog Management Office, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Shinya Nagahama
- Animal Protection and Livestock Division, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Osaka Prefectural Government, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaaki Iwaki
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yamamoto
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motohide Takahashi
- Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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28
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Comparative analysis of two complete Corynebacterium ulcerans genomes and detection of candidate virulence factors. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:383. [PMID: 21801446 PMCID: PMC3164646 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2011] [Accepted: 07/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Corynebacterium ulcerans has been detected as a commensal in domestic and wild animals that may serve as reservoirs for zoonotic infections. During the last decade, the frequency and severity of human infections associated with C. ulcerans appear to be increasing in various countries. As the knowledge of genes contributing to the virulence of this bacterium was very limited, the complete genome sequences of two C. ulcerans strains detected in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro were determined and characterized by comparative genomics: C. ulcerans 809 was initially isolated from an elderly woman with fatal pulmonary infection and C. ulcerans BR-AD22 was recovered from a nasal sample of an asymptomatic dog. Results The circular chromosome of C. ulcerans 809 has a total size of 2,502,095 bp and encodes 2,182 predicted proteins, whereas the genome of C. ulcerans BR-AD22 is 104,279 bp larger and comprises 2,338 protein-coding regions. The minor difference in size of the two genomes is mainly caused by additional prophage-like elements in the C. ulcerans BR-AD22 chromosome. Both genomes show a highly similar order of orthologous coding regions; and both strains share a common set of 2,076 genes, demonstrating their very close relationship. A screening for prominent virulence factors revealed the presence of phospholipase D (Pld), neuraminidase H (NanH), endoglycosidase E (EndoE), and subunits of adhesive pili of the SpaDEF type that are encoded in both C. ulcerans genomes. The rbp gene coding for a putative ribosome-binding protein with striking structural similarity to Shiga-like toxins was additionally detected in the genome of the human isolate C. ulcerans 809. Conclusions The molecular data deduced from the complete genome sequences provides considerable knowledge of virulence factors in C. ulcerans that is increasingly recognized as an emerging pathogen. This bacterium is apparently equipped with a broad and varying set of virulence factors, including a novel type of a ribosome-binding protein. Whether the respective protein contributes to the severity of human infections (and a fatal outcome) remains to be elucidated by genetic experiments with defined bacterial mutants and host model systems.
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Dias AASO, Silva FC, Santos LS, Ribeiro-Carvalho MM, Sabbadini PS, Santos CS, Filardy AA, Myioshi A, Azevedo VA, Hirata R, Villas-Bôas MHS, Mattos-Guaraldi AL. Strain-dependent arthritogenic potential of the zoonotic pathogen Corynebacterium ulcerans. Vet Microbiol 2011; 153:323-31. [PMID: 21742447 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Revised: 04/30/2011] [Accepted: 06/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
During the last decade the majority of diphtheria cases in Europe had Corynebacterium ulcerans as the etiologic agent with dogs and cats as the reservoir hosts. However, little has been documented about the virulence factors of this zoonotic pathogen. To set up an in vivo experimental C. ulcerans infection model, conventional Swiss Webster mice were intravenously infected with different doses (from 1 × 10(7) to 5 × 10(9) bacteria per mouse) of C. ulcerans strains, namely 809 (from human lower respiratory tract), BR-AD22 (from asymptomatic dog nares) and CDC-KC279. Mortality rates were demonstrated by LD(50) values ranging from 1.9 × 10(8) to 1.3 × 10(9). Viable bacteria were recovered from blood, kidneys, liver, spleen and joints. For CDC-KC279 and 809 strains (2 × 10(8)mL(-1)) approximately 85% and 72% of animals with articular lesions were observed, respectively; BR-AD22-infected mice showed no signs of arthritis. CDC-KC279 and 809 strains exhibited higher arthritogenic potential when compared to the homologous toxigenic (ATCC27012) and non-toxigenic (ATCC27010) strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. A high number of affected joints and arthritis index in addition to the histopathological features, including subcutaneous edema, inflammatory infiltrate, damage to bone tissue and synoviocyte hypertrophy, indicated a strain-dependent ability of C. ulcerans strains to cause severe polyarthritis. A correlation between the arthritis index and systemic levels of IL-6 and TNF-α was observed for C. ulcerans strains, with the exception of the non-arthritogenic BR-AD22 strain. In conclusion, C. ulcerans revealed a strain-dependent arthritogenic potential independent of DNAse, PLD and diphtheria toxin production.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A S O Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Vigilância Sanitária/Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil
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