scholarly journals Genetic diversity in Italian Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis strains assessed by multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses

Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (7) ◽  
pp. 2035-2045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Picozzi ◽  
Gaia Bonacina ◽  
Ileana Vigentini ◽  
Roberto Foschino

Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis is a lactic acid bacterium that characterizes the sourdough environment. The genetic differences of 24 strains isolated in different years from sourdoughs, mostly collected in Italy, were examined and compared by PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The MLST scheme, based on the analysis of six housekeeping genes (gdh, gyrA, mapA, nox, pgmA and pta) was developed for this study. PFGE with the restriction enzyme ApaI proved to have higher discriminatory power, since it revealed 22 different pulsotypes, while 19 sequence types were recognized through MLST analysis. Notably, restriction profiles generated from three isolates collected from the same firm but in three consecutive years clustered in a single pulsotype and showed the same sequence type, emphasizing the fact that the main factors affecting the dominance of a strain are correlated with processing conditions and the manufacturing environment rather than the geographical area. All results indicated a limited recombination among genes and the presence of a clonal population in L. sanfranciscensis. The MLST scheme proposed in this work can be considered a useful tool for characterization of isolates and for in-depth examination of the strain diversity and evolution of this species.

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 1008-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Enright ◽  
Nicholas P. J. Day ◽  
Catrin E. Davies ◽  
Sharon J. Peacock ◽  
Brian G. Spratt

A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme has been developed forStaphylococcus aureus. The sequences of internal fragments of seven housekeeping genes were obtained for 155 S. aureusisolates from patients with community-acquired and hospital-acquired invasive disease in the Oxford, United Kingdom, area. Fifty-three different allelic profiles were identified, and 17 of these were represented by at least two isolates. The MLST scheme was highly discriminatory and was validated by showing that pairs of isolates with the same allelic profile produced very similar SmaI restriction fragment patterns by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. All 22 isolates with the most prevalent allelic profile were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates and had allelic profiles identical to that of a reference strain of the epidemic MRSA clone 16 (EMRSA-16). Four MRSA isolates that were identical in allelic profile to the other major epidemic MRSA clone prevalent in British hospitals (clone EMRSA-15) were also identified. The majority of isolates (81%) were methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates, and seven MSSA clones included five or more isolates. Three of the MSSA clones included at least five isolates from patients with community-acquired invasive disease and may represent virulent clones with an increased ability to cause disease in otherwise healthy individuals. The most prevalent MSSA clone (17 isolates) was very closely related to EMRSA-16, and the success of the latter clone at causing disease in hospitals may be due to its emergence from a virulent MSSA clone that was already a major cause of invasive disease in both the community and hospital settings. MLST provides an unambiguous method for assigning MRSA and MSSA isolates to known clones or assigning them as novel clones via the Internet.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlendur Helgason ◽  
Nicolas J. Tourasse ◽  
Roger Meisal ◽  
Dominique A. Caugant ◽  
Anne-Brit Kolstø

ABSTRACT In this study we developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group. This group, which includes the species B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. weihenstephanensis, and B. anthracis, is known to be genetically very diverse. It is also very important because it comprises pathogenic organisms as well as bacteria with industrial applications. The MLST system was established by using 77 strains having various origins, including humans, animals, food, and soil. A total of 67 of these strains had been analyzed previously by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, and they were selected to represent the genetic diversity of this group of bacteria. Primers were designed for conserved regions of housekeeping genes, and 330- to 504-bp internal fragments of seven such genes, adk, ccpA, ftsA, glpT, pyrE, recF, and sucC, were sequenced for all strains. The number of alleles at individual loci ranged from 25 to 40, and a total of 53 allelic profiles or sequence types (STs) were distinguished. Analysis of the sequence data showed that the population structure of the B. cereus group is weakly clonal. In particular, all five B. anthracis isolates analyzed had the same ST. The MLST scheme which we developed has a high level of resolution and should be an excellent tool for studying the population structure and epidemiology of the B. cereus group.


2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 982-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Shuel ◽  
Kathleen E. Karlowsky ◽  
Dennis K.S. Law ◽  
Raymond S.W. Tsang

Population biology of Haemophilus influenzae can be studied by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and isolates are assigned sequence types (STs) based on nucleotide sequence variations in seven housekeeping genes, including fucK. However, the ST cannot be assigned if one of the housekeeping genes is absent or cannot be detected by the current protocol. Occasionally, strains of H. influenzae have been reported to lack the fucK gene. In this study, we examined the prevalence of this mutation among our collection of H. influenzae isolates. Of the 704 isolates studied, including 282 encapsulated and 422 nonencapsulated isolates, nine were not typeable by MLST owing to failure to detect the fucK gene. All nine fucK-negative isolates were nonencapsulated and belonged to various biotypes. DNA sequencing of the fucose operon region confirmed complete deletion of genes in the operon in seven of the nine isolates, while in the remaining two isolates, some of the genes were found intact or in parts. The significance of these findings is discussed.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (8) ◽  
pp. 2831-2840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narjol González-Escalona ◽  
Jaime Martinez-Urtaza ◽  
Jaime Romero ◽  
Romilio T. Espejo ◽  
Lee-Ann Jaykus ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important human pathogen whose transmission is associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood. There is a growing public health concern due to the emergence of a pandemic strain causing severe outbreaks worldwide. Many questions remain unanswered regarding the evolution and population structure of V. parahaemolyticus. In this work, we describe a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for V. parahaemolyticus based on the internal fragment sequences of seven housekeeping genes. This MLST scheme was applied to 100 V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from geographically diverse clinical (n = 37) and environmental (n = 63) sources. The sequences obtained from this work were deposited and are available in a public database (http://pubmlst.org/vparahaemolyticus ). Sixty-two unique sequence types were identified, and most (50) were represented by a single isolate, suggesting a high level of genetic diversity. Three major clonal complexes were identified by eBURST analysis. Separate clonal complexes were observed for V. parahaemolyticus isolates originating from the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States, while a third clonal complex consisted of strains belonging to the pandemic clonal complex with worldwide distribution. The data reported in this study indicate that V. parahaemolyticus is genetically diverse with a semiclonal population structure and an epidemic structure similar to that of Vibrio cholerae. Genetic diversity in V. parahaemolyticus appears to be driven primarily by frequent recombination rather than mutation, with recombination ratios estimated at 2.5:1 and 8.8:1 by allele and site, respectively. Application of this MLST scheme to more V. parahaemolyticus strains and by different laboratories will facilitate production of a global picture of the epidemiology and evolution of this pathogen.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (02) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malini Shariff ◽  
Jyoti Choudhary ◽  
Shazia Zahoor ◽  
Monorama Deb

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in young children and the elderly. In the present study we evaluated antimicrobial susceptibilities, serotypes, and sequence types of pneumococcal isolates recovered in New Delhi, India. Methodology: A total of 126 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were investigated. They were subjected to disk diffusion susceptibility testing, broth microdilution testing, serotyping and multilocus sequence typing. Results: Broth microdilution assay showed that 5%, 20% and 23% of the isolates exhibited resistance to penicillin, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Serotypes19, 1 and 6 were more frequently isolated. Thirty per cent of the strains were comprised of serotypes 1, 3, 5, 19A and 7F, which are not included in the seven-valent vaccine. Fifty-nine isolates were typed using multilocus sequence typing. Thirty new sequence types were encountered in this study. Only one clonal complex with 4 isolates was seen; 11 clonal complexes and 96 sequence types (STs) were observed among 115 Indian isolates. Only 18 of the 96 STs were found globally, of which only 4 STs were found in many countries with larger numbers. Conclusions: This study identifies the non-vaccine serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae circulating in India. It is important that an appropriate vaccine which covers all serotypes is used in the region.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 789-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Rosales ◽  
C. P. Churchward ◽  
C. Schnee ◽  
K. Sachse ◽  
I. Lysnyansky ◽  
...  

Mycoplasma bovisis a major bovine pathogen associated with bovine respiratory disease complex and is responsible for substantial economic losses worldwide.M. bovisis also associated with other clinical presentations in cattle, including mastitis, otitis, arthritis, and reproductive disorders. To gain a better understanding of the genetic diversity of this pathogen, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme was developed and applied to the characterization of 137M. bovisisolates from diverse geographical origins, obtained from healthy or clinically infected cattle. Afterin silicoanalysis, a final set of 7 housekeeping genes was selected (dnaA,metS,recA,tufA,atpA,rpoD, andtkt). MLST analysis demonstrated the presence of 35 different sequence types (STs) distributed in two main clonal complexes (CCs), defined at the double-locus variant level, namely, CC1, which included most of the British and German isolates, and CC2, which was a more heterogeneous and geographically distant group of isolates, including European, Asian, and Australian samples. Index of association analysis confirmed the clonal nature of the investigatedM. bovispopulation, based on MLST data. This scheme has demonstrated high discriminatory power, with the analysis showing the presence of genetically distant and divergent clusters of isolates predominantly associated with geographical origins.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Biendo ◽  
C. Adjidé ◽  
S. Castelain ◽  
M. Belmekki ◽  
F. Rousseau ◽  
...  

We studied 138 glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) strains, consisting of 131 glycopeptide-resistantEnterococcus faecium(GREfm) and 7 glycopeptide-resistantEnterococcus faecalis(GREfs). The GREfm strains were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin, while the GREfs strains were only resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Thevan Agene was the only glycopeptide determinant present in all GRE isolates investigated. Genes coding for Hyl and Hyl+ Esp were detected in 39 (29.8%) and 92 (70.2%) of the 131 GREfm isolates, respectively. Three of the 7 GREfs were positive forgelE+asa 1genes, 3 forgel Egene, and 1 forasa 1gene. The genetic relationship between the 138 GRE was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). GREfm isolates were clustered in a single genogroup (pulsotype A), and GREfs were clustered in six genogroups (pulsotypes B-G). Among the isolates investigated by MLST, only 18 PCR products were sequenced (12E. faeciumand 6E. faecalis), and 9 sequence types (STs) were identified.


2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 657-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Takahashi ◽  
Toshiro Kuroki ◽  
Yuko Watanabe ◽  
Hiroshi Tanaka ◽  
Hiroo Inouye ◽  
...  

Analysis of 182 Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated over the past 30 years in Japan by serogroup typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed. The serogroups of the 182 Japanese isolates were B (103 isolates), Y (39), W135 (1) and non-groupable (39). By MLST analysis, 65 different sequence types (ST) were identified, 42 of which were not found in the MLST database as of January 2004 and seemed to be unique to Japan. Statistical analysis of the MLST results revealed that, although the Japanese isolates seemed to be genetically divergent, they were classified into six major clonal complexes and other minor complexes. Among these isolates, well-documented ST complexes found worldwide were present, such as ST-23 complex (49 isolates), ST-44 complex (41 isolates) and ST-32 complex (8 isolates). On the other hand, a new clonal complex designated ST-2046 complex (28 isolates), which has not been identified in other countries, was also found, suggesting that this clone was indigenous to Japan. Taken together, it was speculated that meningococcal isolates in Japan comprised heterogeneous clones, which were derived both from clones identified in other countries and clones unique to Japan.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (23) ◽  
pp. 7220-7228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmini Ramachandran ◽  
David W. Lacher ◽  
Erika A. Pfeiler ◽  
Christopher A. Elkins

ABSTRACTMembers of theLactobacillus acidophiluscomplex are associated with functional foods and dietary supplements because of purported health benefits they impart to the consumer. Many characteristics of these microorganisms are reported to be strain specific. Therefore, proper strain typing is essential for safety assessment and product labeling, and also for monitoring strain integrity for industrial production purposes. Fifty-two strains of theL. acidophiluscomplex (L. acidophilus,L. amylovorus,L. crispatus,L. gallinarum,L. gasseri, andL. johnsonii) were genotyped using two established methods and compared to a novel multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme. PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of thehsp60gene with AluI and TaqI successfully clustered 51 of the 52 strains into the six species examined, but it lacked strain-level discrimination. Random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR (RAPD-PCR) targeting the M13 sequence resulted in highly discriminatory profiles but lacked reproducibility. In this study, an MLST scheme was developed using the conserved housekeeping genesfusA,gpmA,gyrA,gyrB,lepA,pyrG, andrecA, which identified 40 sequence types that successfully clustered all of the strains into the six species. Analysis of the observed alleles suggests that nucleotide substitutions within five of the seven MLST loci have reached saturation, a finding that emphasizes the highly diverse nature of theL. acidophiluscomplex and our unconventional application of a typically intraspecies molecular typing tool. Our MLST results indicate that this method could be useful for characterization and strain discrimination of a multispecies complex, with the potential for taxonomic expansion to a broader collection ofLactobacillusspecies.


Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (7) ◽  
pp. 1990-2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McDowell ◽  
Anna Gao ◽  
Emma Barnard ◽  
Colin Fink ◽  
Philip I. Murray ◽  
...  

We have developed a novel multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme and database (http://pubmlst.org/pacnes/) for Propionibacterium acnes based on the analysis of seven core housekeeping genes. The scheme, which was validated against previously described antibody, single locus and random amplification of polymorphic DNA typing methods, displayed excellent resolution and differentiated 123 isolates into 37 sequence types (STs). An overall clonal population structure was detected with six eBURST groups representing the major clades I, II and III, along with two singletons. Two highly successful and global clonal lineages, ST6 (type IA) and ST10 (type IB1), representing 64 % of this current MLST isolate collection were identified. The ST6 clone and closely related single locus variants, which comprise a large clonal complex CC6, dominated isolates from patients with acne, and were also significantly associated with ophthalmic infections. Our data therefore support an association between acne and P. acnes strains from the type IA cluster and highlight the role of a widely disseminated clonal genotype in this condition. Characterization of type I cell surface-associated antigens that are not detected in ST10 or strains of type II and III identified two dermatan-sulphate-binding proteins with putative phase/antigenic variation signatures. We propose that the expression of these proteins by type IA organisms contributes to their role in the pathophysiology of acne and helps explain the recurrent nature of the disease. The MLST scheme and database described in this study should provide a valuable platform for future epidemiological and evolutionary studies of P. acnes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document