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Karlsmose AK, Ivanova M, Kragh ML, Kjeldgaard JS, Otani S, Svendsen CA, Papić B, Zdovc I, Tasara T, Stephan R, Heir E, Langsrud S, Møretrø T, Dalgaard P, Fagerlund A, Hansen LT, Aarestrup FM, Leekitcharoenphon P. A novel metagenomic approach uncovers phage genes as markers for increased disinfectant tolerance in mixed Listeria monocytogenes communities. Infect Genet Evol 2024; 119:105582. [PMID: 38467173 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is an important human pathogen with a high mortality rate. Consumption of contaminated ready-to-eat food is the main mode of transmission to humans. Disinfectant-tolerant L. monocytogenes have emerged, which are believed to have increased persistence potential. Elucidating the mechanisms of L. monocytogenes disinfectant tolerance has been the focus of previous studies using pure cultures. A limitation of such approach is the difficulty to identify strains with reduced susceptibility due to inter-strain variation and the need to screen large numbers of strains and genes. In this study, we applied a novel metagenomic approach to detect genes associated with disinfectant tolerance in mixed L. monocytogenes planktonic communities. Two communities, consisting of 71 and 80 isolates each, were treated with the food industry disinfectants benzalkonium chloride (BC, 1.75 mg/L) or peracetic acid (PAA, 38 mg/L). The communities were subjected to metagenomic sequencing and differences in individual gene abundances between biocide-free control communities and biocide-treated communities were determined. A significant increase in the abundance of Listeria phage-associated genes was observed in both communities after treatment, suggesting that prophage carriage could lead to an increased disinfectant tolerance in mixed L. monocytogenes planktonic communities. In contrast, a significant decrease in the abundance of a high-copy emrC-harbouring plasmid pLmN12-0935 was observed in both communities after treatment. In PAA-treated community, a putative ABC transporter previously found to be necessary for L. monocytogenes resistance to antimicrobial agents and virulence, was among the genes with the highest weight for differentiating treated from control samples. The undertaken metagenomic approach in this study can be applied to identify genes associated with increased tolerance to other antimicrobials in mixed bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnete Kirstine Karlsmose
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Mirena Ivanova
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Martin Laage Kragh
- Research Group for Food Microbiology and Hygiene, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jette Sejer Kjeldgaard
- Research Group for Global Capacity Building, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Saria Otani
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Christina Aaby Svendsen
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Bojan Papić
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Zdovc
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Taurai Tasara
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Even Heir
- Nofima - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Solveig Langsrud
- Nofima - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Trond Møretrø
- Nofima - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Paw Dalgaard
- Research Group for Food Microbiology and Hygiene, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Annette Fagerlund
- Nofima - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen
- Research Group for Food Microbiology and Hygiene, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Frank M Aarestrup
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pimlapas Leekitcharoenphon
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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Dincer E. Detection of Listeria Species by Conventional Culture-Dependent and Alternative Rapid Detection Methods in Retail Ready-to-Eat Foods in Turkey. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 34:349-357. [PMID: 38073362 PMCID: PMC10940737 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2308.08043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Foodborne pathogens, like Listeria monocytogenes, continue to inflict substantial financial losses on the food industry. Various methods for detecting Listeria in food have been developed and numerous studies have been conducted to compare the different methods. But, in recent years, new Listeria species have been identified, and currently the genus comprises 26 species. Therefore, it would be a more accurate approach to re-evaluate existing detection methods by considering new species. The present investigation involved the analysis of 42 ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, encompassing a variety of food categories, such as mezes, salads, dairy products, and meat products, with the aim of ascertaining the presence of Listeria. Among the traditional culture-dependent reference methods, the ISO 11290 method was preferred. The process of strain identification was conducted with the API Identification System. Furthermore, to ascertain the existence of L. monocytogenes and Listeria spp., the samples underwent additional analysis employing the VIDAS Immunoassay System, ELISA, and RT-PCR methodologies. Thus, four alternative approaches were employed in this study to compare not only the different methods used to determine Listeria while taking into account the newly identified Listeria species, but also to assess the compliance of retail RTE food items with microbiological criteria pertaining to the genus Listeria. Based on the conducted analyses, L. monocytogenes was conclusively determined to be present in one sample. The presence of Listeria spp. was detected in 30.9% of the samples, specifically in Turkish cig kofte, sliced salami, and salads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emine Dincer
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 Sivas, Turkey
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Orsi RH, Liao J, Carlin CR, Wiedmann M. Taxonomy, ecology, and relevance to food safety of the genus Listeria with a particular consideration of new Listeria species described between 2010 and 2022. mBio 2024; 15:e0093823. [PMID: 38126771 PMCID: PMC10865800 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00938-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Since 2010, the genus Listeria has had the addition of 22 new species that more than tripled the number of species identified until 2010. Sixteen of these 22 new species are distantly related to the type species, Listeria monocytogenes, and several of these present phenotypes that distinguish them from classical Listeria species (L. monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Listeria seeligeri, Listeria welshimeri, and Listeria grayi). These 22 newly described species also show that Listeria is more genetically diverse than previously estimated. While future studies and surveys are needed to clarify the distribution of these species, at least some of these species may not be widely spread, while other species may be frequently found spread to human-related settings (e.g., farms and processing facilities), and others may be adapted to specific environmental habitats. Here, we review the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and ecological characteristics of these new Listeria species identified since 2010 and re-iterate the suggestion of re-classification of some species into three new genera: Murraya, Mesolisteria, and Paenilisteria. We also provide a review of current detection issues and the relevance to food safety related to the identification of these new species. For example, several new non-pathogenic species could be misidentified as the pathogen L. monocytogenes, based on methods that do not target L. monocytogenes-specific virulence genes/factors, leading to unnecessary product recalls. Moreover, eight species in the proposed new genus Mesolisteria are not good indicators of environmental conditions that could allow L. monocytogenes to grow since Mesolisteria species are unable to grow at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato H. Orsi
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Jingqiu Liao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Martin Wiedmann
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Ma X, Zhao C, Xu Y, Zhang H. Roles of host SUMOylation in bacterial pathogenesis. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0028323. [PMID: 37725062 PMCID: PMC10580907 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00283-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria frequently interfere with the post-translational modifications of host cells to facilitate their survival and growth after invasion. SUMOylation, a reversible post-translational modification process, plays an important role in biological life activities. In addition to being critical to host cell metabolism and survival, SUMOylation also regulates gene expression and cell signal transmission. Moreover, SUMOylation in eukaryotic cells can be used by a variety of bacterial pathogens to advance bacterial invasion. In this minireview, we focused on the role and mechanism of host SUMOylation in the pathogenesis of six important clinical bacterial pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella Typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli). Taken together, this review provided new insights for understanding the unique pathogen-host interaction based on host SUMOylation and provided a novel perspective on the development of new strategies to combat bacterial infections in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chenhao Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuyao Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhangjiagang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haifang Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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Schulz LM, Dreier F, de Sousa Miranda LM, Rismondo J. Adaptation mechanisms of Listeria monocytogenes to quaternary ammonium compounds. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0144123. [PMID: 37695041 PMCID: PMC10580936 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01441-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is ubiquitously found in nature and can easily enter food-processing facilities due to contaminations of raw materials. Several countermeasures are used to combat contamination of food products, for instance, the use of disinfectants that contain quaternary ammonium compounds, such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). In this study, we assessed the potential of the commonly used wild-type strain EGD-e to adapt to BAC and CTAB under laboratory growth conditions. All BAC-tolerant suppressors exclusively carried mutations in fepR, encoding a TetR-like transcriptional regulator, or its promoter region, likely resulting in the overproduction of the efflux pump FepA. In contrast, CTAB tolerance was associated with mutations in sugR, which regulates the expression of the efflux pumps SugE1 and SugE2. L. monocytogenes strains lacking either FepA or SugE1/2 could still acquire tolerance toward BAC and CTAB. Genomic analysis revealed that the overproduction of the remaining efflux system could compensate for the deleted one, and even in the absence of both efflux systems, tolerant strains could be isolated, which all carried mutations in the diacylglycerol kinase-encoding gene lmo1753 (dgkB). DgkB converts diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid, which is subsequently reused for the synthesis of phospholipids, suggesting that alterations in membrane composition could be the third adaptation mechanism. IMPORTANCE Survival and proliferation of Listeria monocytogenes in the food industry are ongoing concerns, and while there are various countermeasures to combat contamination of food products, the pathogen still successfully manages to withstand the harsh conditions present in food-processing facilities, resulting in reoccurring outbreaks, subsequent infection, and disease. To counteract the spread of L. monocytogenes, it is crucial to understand and elucidate the underlying mechanism that permits their successful evasion. We present various adaptation mechanisms of L. monocytogenes to withstand two important quaternary ammonium compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Maria Schulz
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, GZMB, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fabienne Dreier
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, GZMB, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Marie de Sousa Miranda
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, GZMB, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jeanine Rismondo
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, GZMB, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Oh S, Park SH, Choi JH, Kim SL, Kim M, Lee S, Yi MH, Lee IY, Yong TS, Kim JY. The microbiota in feces of domestic pigeons in Seoul, Korea. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14997. [PMID: 37095944 PMCID: PMC10121612 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In Korea, feral pigeons pose significant public health risks because they carry various zoonotic pathogens. Human population density is a significant factor in zoonotic disease events. Seoul is one of the largest cities by population density among developed countries and where most of the homeless population in Korea exists. We designed this study to compare the microbiota of pigeon feces by regional characteristics and the presence of homeless individuals. Therefore, this study used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to detect possible pathogenic microbes and assess the current risk of zoonosis in Seoul, South Korea. Pigeon fecal samples (n = 144) obtained from 19 public sites (86 and 58 fecal samples from regions in and outside Seoul, respectively) were examined. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were also detected in the fecal samples; Campylobacter spp. was found in 19 samples from 13 regions, Listeriaceae was found in seven samples, and Chlamydia spp. was found in three samples from two regions. Principal coordinates analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in bacterial composition between the regions in Seoul (n = 86) and outside Seoul (n = 58) and between the regions with (n = 81) and without (n = 63) homeless individuals. Overall, this study identified various potentially pathogenic microorganisms in pigeon feces at public sites in South Korea. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the microbial composition was influenced by regional characteristics and homelessness. Taken together, this study provides important information for public health strategic planning and disease control.
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Rossi F, Giaccone V, Colavita G, Amadoro C, Pomilio F, Catellani P. Virulence Characteristics and Distribution of the Pathogen Listeria ivanovii in the Environment and in Food. Microorganisms 2022; 10. [PMID: 36014096 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria ivanovii and L. monocytogenes, are the only pathogenic species of the genus Listeria and share many virulence factors and mechanisms of pathogenicity. L. ivanovii shows host tropism towards small ruminants and rodents and much lower virulence for humans compared to L. monocytogenes. However, severe infections caused by L. ivanovii, resulting in bacteremia, abortion and stillbirth, occasionally occurred in immunocompromised persons and in pregnant women, while in immunocompetent hosts L. ivanovii can cause gastroenteritis. In this review, the updated knowledge on virulence aspects and distribution of L. ivanovii in the environment and in food is summarized. Recent research on its virulence characters at genome level gave indications on how pathogenicity evolved in this bacterial species. As for L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii infections occurred after the ingestion of contaminated food, so an overview of reports regarding its distribution in food products was carried out to obtain indications on the categories of foods exposed to contamination by L. ivanovii. It was found that a wide variety of food products can be a source of this microorganism and that, like L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii is able to persist in the food production environment. Studies on its ability to grow in enrichment and isolation media suggested that its occurrence in nature might be underestimated. Moreover, virulence varies among strains for differences in virulence character regulation, presence/absence of genetic regions and the possible instability of a Listeria pathogenicity genomic island, LIPI-2, which is unique to L. ivanovii. We can conclude that L. ivanovii, as a possible pathogen for animals and humans, requires more focused investigations regarding its occurrence in the environment and in food and on intra-species variability of pathogenic potential.
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Lourenco A, Linke K, Wagner M, Stessl B. The Saprophytic Lifestyle of Listeria monocytogenes and Entry Into the Food-Processing Environment. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:789801. [PMID: 35350628 PMCID: PMC8957868 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.789801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is an environmentally adapted saprophyte that can change into a human and animal bacterial pathogen with zoonotic potential through several regulatory systems. In this review, the focus is on the occurrence of Listeria sensu stricto and sensu lato in different ecological niches, the detection methods, and their analytical limitations. It also highlights the occurrence of L. monocytogenes genotypes in the environment (soil, water, and wildlife), reflects on the molecular determinants of L. monocytogenes for the saprophytic lifestyle and the potential for antibiotic resistance. In particular, the strain-specific properties with which some genotypes circulate in wastewater, surface water, soil, wildlife, and agricultural environments are of particular interest for the continuously updating risk analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Lourenco
- Department of Food Biosciences, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Co. Cork, Ireland
- Unit for Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristina Linke
- Unit for Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Wagner
- Unit for Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Competence Center for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, Tulln, Austria
| | - Beatrix Stessl
- Unit for Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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