Investigation of the presence and persistence of bacteria in seawater and oysters from an aquaculture farm in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware

The filter-feeding nature of oysters, anthropogenic activities, and increasing agriculture in Delaware compromise the microbial safety of Eastern oysters from local aquaculture farms. From July to October 2023, we evaluated the presence and persistence of eight bacteria in seawater and oysters produced from off-bottom and bottom cultures at Sally Cove, an aquaculture farm within Rehoboth Bay in Delaware. A control site within Sally Cove, which was without oyster cultures, was also included in the study. Seawater temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen were measured in situ during sampling. Molecular confirmation with PCR and qPCR showed that Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Clostridium spp. were present and persisted in seawater and oyster samples from both cultures at Sally Cove and in off-bottom and bottom seawater samples from the control site throughout the study. Shigella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were consistently found in seawater and oyster samples from July to September. However, Shigella spp. was only detected in samples from the bottom cultures, whereas L. monocytogenes was undetectable in all samples from both cultures in October. The observed temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels across the study period were in the range of 15.30-29.67°C, 29.33-31.87 ppt, 7.25-7.95, and 3.79-8.10 mg/L, respectively, and comparable with the conditions suitable for the growth and survival of these bacteria. These findings suggest that consuming raw oysters from Sally Cove poses contamination risks from several bacteria, especially in the summer months.IMPORTANCEAlthough studies have evaluated bacterial contamination in seawater and oysters within the Delaware Inland Bays and nearby areas, the focus has primarily been on Vibrio species. However, other bacteria have been found in seawater and seafood at various locations and could potentially occur in oysters produced from aquaculture farms within the Delaware Inland Bays. Sally Cove is an oyster aquaculture farm that produces Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) for consumption in Delaware using both off-bottom and bottom culturing methods. The risk of bacterial contamination from consuming raw oysters from this farm is unknown. This paper shows the presence and persistence of several bacteria, including those associated with waste, in seawater and oysters at the farm. The findings can inform consumers about the contamination risks from consuming raw oysters produced at the farm.

Global and Historical Distribution of Clostridioides difficile in the Human Diet (1981-2019): Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 21886 Samples Reveal Sources of Heterogeneity, High-Risk Foods, and Unexpected Higher Prevalence Toward the Tropic

Clostridioides difficile (CD) is a spore-forming bacterium that causes life-threatening intestinal infections in humans. Although formerly regarded as exclusively nosocomial, there is increasing genomic evidence that person-to-person transmission accounts for only <25% of cases, supporting the culture-based hypothesis that foods may be routine sources of CD-spore ingestion in humans. To synthesize the evidence on the risk of CD exposure via foods, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the culture prevalence of CD in foods between January 1981 and November 2019. Meta-analyses, risk-ratio estimates, and meta-regression were used to estimate weighed-prevalence across studies and food types to identify laboratory and geographical sources of heterogeneity. In total, 21886 food samples were tested for CD between 1981 and 2019 (96.4%, n = 21084, 2007–2019; 232 food-sample-sets; 79 studies; 25 countries). Culture methodology, sample size and type, region, and latitude were sources of heterogeneity (p < 0.05). Although non-strictly-anaerobic methods were reported in some studies, and we confirmed experimentally that improper anaerobiosis of media/sample-handling affects CD recovery in agar (Fisher, p < 0.01), most studies (>72%) employed the same (one-of-six) culture strategy. Because the prevalence was also meta-analytically similar across six culture strategies reported, all studies were integrated using three meta-analytical methods. At the study level (n = 79), the four-decade global cumulative-prevalence of CD in the human diet was 4.1% (95%CI = −3.71, 11.91). At the food-set level (n = 232, mean 12.9 g/sample, similar across regions p > 0.2; 95%CI = 9.7–16.2), the weighted prevalence ranged between 4.5% (95%CI = 3–6%; all studies) and 8% (95%CI = 7–8%; only CD-positive-studies). Risk-ratio ranking and meta-regression showed that milk was the least likely source of CD, while seafood, leafy green vegetables, pork, and poultry carried higher risks (p < 0.05). Across regions, the risk of CD in foods for foodborne exposure reproducibly decreased with Earth latitude (p < 0.001). In conclusion, CD in the human diet is a global non-random-source of foodborne exposure that occurs independently of laboratory culture methods, across regions, and at a variable level depending on food type and latitude. The latitudinal trend (high CD-food-prevalence toward tropic) is unexpectedly inverse to the epidemiological observations of CD-infections in humans (frequent in temperate regions). Findings suggest the plausible hypothesis that ecologically-richer microbiomes in the tropic might protect against intestinal CD colonization/infections despite CD ingestion.

Presence of toxigenic Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in edible bivalve mollusks in Spain

Clostridioides difficile reservoirs other than humans are becoming increasingly recognized, and the occurrence of the pathogen in shellfish raises concern because spores can survive cooking temperature and edible bivalve mollusks are often consumed raw or poorly cooked. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of pathogenic C. difficile in retail bivalve mollusks. The microbiological quality of samples was also checked through the isolation of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli. We analyzed 129 mollusk samples from different fishmongers and grocery stores in Murcia. C. difficile was isolated from 8.53% (11/129) of the mollusks investigated. Four C. difficile isolates harbored genes for the production of toxin A and B. Salmonella spp. were not isolated from any sample and E. coli was isolated from 1.55% (2/129) of the samples, in both cases in accordance with the current legal requirements for consumption. Our findings indicate that the intake of raw or poorly cooked contaminated bivalve mollusks could be a potential source of C. difficile, leading to a risk for human health.

Clostridium difficile colitis and zoonotic origins-a narrative review

Clostridium difficile is a major cause of hospital-associated diarrhoea, and in severe cases leads to pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. The frequency of C. difficile infection (CDI) has increased in recent decades, with 453 000 cases identified in 2011 in the USA. This is related to antibiotic-selection pressure, disruption of normal host intestinal microbiota and emergence of antibiotic-resistant C. difficile strains. The burden of community-acquired CDI has been increasingly appreciated, with disease identified in patients previously considered low-risk, such as young women or patients with no prior antibiotic exposure. C. difficile has been identified in livestock animals, meat products, seafood and salads. It has been postulated that the pool of C. difficile in the agricultural industry may contribute to human CDI. There is widespread environmental dispersal of C. difficile spores. Domestic households, turf lawns and public spaces are extensively contaminated, providing a potential reservoir for community-acquired CDI. In Australia, this is particularly associated with porcine-derived C. difficile UK PCR ribotype 014/020. In this article, the epidemiological differences between hospital- and community-acquired CDI are discussed, including some emerging evidence for community-acquired CDI being a possible zoonosis.