scholarly journals Physiological and Transcriptional Characterization of Persistent and Nonpersistent Listeria monocytogenes Isolates

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (18) ◽  
pp. 6559-6569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward M. Fox ◽  
Nola Leonard ◽  
Kieran Jordan

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to characterize physiological differences between persistent and presumed nonpersistentListeria monocytogenesstrains isolated at processing facilities and to investigate the molecular basis for this by transcriptomic sequencing. Full metabolic profiles of two strains, one persistent and one nonpersistent, were initially screened using Biolog's Phenotype MicroArray (PM) technology. Based on these results, in which major differences from selected antimicrobial agents were detected, another persistent strain and two nonpersistent strains were characterized using two antimicrobial PMs. Resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) was shown to be higher among persistent strains. Growth of persistent and nonpersistent strains in various concentrations of the QACs benzethonium chloride (BZT) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) was determined. Transcriptomic sequencing of a persistent and a presumed nonpersistent strain was performed to compare gene expression among these strains in the presence and absence of BZT. Two strains, designated “frequent persisters” because they were the most frequently isolated at the processing facility, showed overall higher resistance to QACs. Transcriptome analysis showed that BZT induced a complex peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis response, which may play a key role in BZT resistance. Comparison of persistent and nonpersistent strains indicated that transcription of many genes was upregulated among persistent strains. This included three gene operons:pdu,cob-cbi, andeut. These genes may play a role in the persistence ofL. monocytogenesoutside the human host.

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Pérez-Varela ◽  
Jordi Corral ◽  
Jesús Aranda ◽  
Jordi Barbé

ABSTRACTAcinetobacter baumanniihas emerged as an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. In previous work, we identified a putative MFS transporter, AU097_RS17040, involved in the pathogenicity ofA. baumannii(M. Pérez-Varela, J. Corral, J. A. Vallejo, S. Rumbo-Feal, G. Bou, J. Aranda, and J. Barbé, Infect Immun 85:e00327-17, 2017,https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00327-17). In this study, we analyzed the susceptibility to diverse antimicrobial agents ofA. baumanniicells defective in this transporter, referred to as AbaQ. Our results showed that AbaQ is mainly involved in the extrusion of quinolone-type drugs inA. baumannii.


2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Corbett ◽  
Jiahui Wang ◽  
Stephanie Schuler ◽  
Gloria Lopez-Castejon ◽  
Sarah Glenn ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe report here the identification and characterization of two zinc uptake systems, ZurAM and ZinABC, in the intracellular pathogenListeria monocytogenes. Transcription of both operons was zinc responsive and regulated by the zinc-sensing repressor Zur. Deletion of eitherzurAMorzinAhad no detectable effect on growth in defined media, but a doublezurAM zinAmutant was unable to grow in the absence of zinc supplementation. Deletion ofzinAhad no detectable effect on intracellular growth in HeLa epithelial cells. In contrast, growth of thezurAMmutant was significantly impaired in these cells, indicating the importance of the ZurAM system during intracellular growth. Notably, the deletion of bothzinAandzurAMseverely attenuated intracellular growth, with the double mutant being defective in actin-based motility and unable to spread from cell to cell. Deletion of eitherzurAMorzinAhad a significant effect on virulence in an oral mouse model, indicating that both zinc uptake systems are importantin vivoand establishing the importance of zinc acquisition during infection byL. monocytogenes. The presence of two zinc uptake systems may offer a mechanism by whichL. monocytogenescan respond to zinc deficiency within a variety of environments and during different stages of infection, with each system making distinct contributions under different stress conditions.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanine Rismondo ◽  
Sven Halbedel ◽  
Angelika Gründling

ABSTRACT Rod-shaped bacteria have two modes of peptidoglycan synthesis: lateral synthesis and synthesis at the cell division site. These two processes are controlled by two macromolecular protein complexes, the elongasome and divisome. Recently, it has been shown that the Bacillus subtilis RodA protein, which forms part of the elongasome, has peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase activity. The cell division-specific RodA homolog FtsW fulfils a similar role at the divisome. The human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes carries genes that encode up to six FtsW/RodA homologs; however, their functions have not yet been investigated. Analysis of deletion and depletion strains led to the identification of the essential cell division-specific FtsW protein, FtsW1. Interestingly, L. monocytogenes carries a gene that encodes a second FtsW protein, FtsW2, which can compensate for the lack of FtsW1, when expressed from an inducible promoter. L. monocytogenes also possesses three RodA homologs, RodA1, RodA2, and RodA3, and their combined absence is lethal. Cells of a rodA1 rodA3 double mutant are shorter and have increased antibiotic and lysozyme sensitivity, probably due to a weakened cell wall. Results from promoter activity assays revealed that expression of rodA3 and ftsW2 is induced in the presence of antibiotics targeting penicillin binding proteins. Consistent with this, a rodA3 mutant was more susceptible to the β-lactam antibiotic cefuroxime. Interestingly, overexpression of RodA3 also led to increased cefuroxime sensitivity. Our study highlights that L. monocytogenes genes encode a multitude of functional FtsW and RodA enzymes to produce its rigid cell wall and that their expression needs to be tightly regulated to maintain growth, cell division, and antibiotic resistance. IMPORTANCE The human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is usually treated with high doses of β-lactam antibiotics, often combined with gentamicin. However, these antibiotics only act bacteriostatically on L. monocytogenes, and the immune system is needed to clear the infection. Therefore, individuals with a compromised immune system are at risk to develop a severe form of Listeria infection, which can be fatal in up to 30% of cases. The development of new strategies to treat Listeria infections is necessary. Here we show that the expression of some of the FtsW and RodA enzymes of L. monocytogenes is induced by the presence of β-lactam antibiotics, and the combined absence of these enzymes makes bacteria more susceptible to this class of antibiotics. The development of antimicrobial agents that inhibit the activity or production of FtsW and RodA enzymes might therefore help to improve the treatment of Listeria infections and thereby lead to a reduction in mortality.


2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriko Hasegawa ◽  
Tsuyoshi Sekizuka ◽  
Yutaka Sugi ◽  
Nobuhiro Kawakami ◽  
Yumiko Ogasawara ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Streptococcus intermedius is known to cause periodontitis and pyogenic infections in the brain and liver. Here we report the complete genome sequence of strain TYG1620 (genome size, 2,006,877 bp; GC content, 37.6%; 2,020 predicted open reading frames [ORFs]) isolated from a brain abscess in an infant. Comparative analysis of S. intermedius genome sequences suggested that TYG1620 carries a notable type VII secretion system (T7SS), two long repeat regions, and 19 ORFs for cell wall-anchored proteins (CWAPs). To elucidate the genes responsible for the pathogenicity of TYG1620, transcriptome analysis was performed in a murine subcutaneous abscess model. The results suggest that the levels of expression of small hypothetical proteins similar to phenol-soluble modulin β1 (PSMβ1), a staphylococcal virulence factor, significantly increased in the abscess model. In addition, an experiment in a murine subcutaneous abscess model with random transposon (Tn) mutant attenuation suggested that Tn mutants with mutations in 212 ORFs in the Tn mutant library were attenuated in the murine abscess model (629 ORFs were disrupted in total); the 212 ORFs are putatively essential for abscess formation. Transcriptome analysis identified 37 ORFs, including paralogs of the T7SS and a putative glucan-binding CWAP in long repeat regions, to be upregulated and attenuated in vivo. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of S. intermedius pathogenicity based on the complete genome sequence and a murine subcutaneous abscess model with transcriptome and Tn mutagenesis, leading to the identification of pivotal targets for vaccines or antimicrobial agents for the control of S. intermedius infections.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeta S. Gjorgievska ◽  
John W. Nicholson ◽  
Nichola J. Coleman ◽  
Samantha Booth ◽  
Aleksandar Dimkov ◽  
...  

Root canal sealers with antimicrobial activity are highly beneficial; therefore, their antimicrobial properties could be improved by incorporation of antimicrobial agents. In the present study, the release of the quaternary ammonium compounds from endodontic sealers admixed with either benzalkonium chloride (BC) or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) at loadings of 2% wt was monitored. The effect of these additives on the compressive strengths and their release from the sealers was determined after 1 and 4 weeks. All of the materials studied were found to be capable of releasing antimicrobial additive in useful quantities. The release of CPC occurred to a statistically significant greater extent than BC for all materials. The addition of both BC and CPC generally decreased the compressive strength of all the endodontic sealers, with the exception of CPC in AH Plus, where the compressive strength was significantly increased. This suggests that, for these endodontic sealers, the antimicrobial additives alter the setting chemistry. AH Plus is an epoxy-based material cured with an amine, and in this case the increase in compressive strength with CPC is attributed to an enhanced cure reaction with this system. In all other cases, the additive inhibited the cure reaction to a greater or lesser extent.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 2332-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamata Gurung ◽  
Migma Dorji Tamang ◽  
Dong Chan Moon ◽  
Su-Ran Kim ◽  
Jin-Ha Jeong ◽  
...  

Characterization of 227Streptococcus suisstrains isolated from pigs during 2010 to 2013 showed high levels of resistance to clindamycin (95.6%), tilmicosin (94.7%), tylosin (93.8%), oxytetracycline (89.4%), chlortetracycline (86.8%), tiamulin (72.7%), neomycin (70.0%), enrofloxacin (56.4%), penicillin (56.4%), ceftiofur (55.9%), and gentamicin (55.1%). Resistance to tetracyclines, macrolides, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolone was attributed to thetetgene,erm(B),erm(C),mph(C), andmef(A) and/ormef(E) genes,aph(3′)-IIIaandaac(6′)-Ie-aph(2″)-Iagenes, and single point mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining region of ParC and GyrA, respectively.


2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 308-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sagrario Ortiz ◽  
Victoria López-Alonso ◽  
Pablo Rodríguez ◽  
Joaquín V. Martínez-Suárez

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to investigate the basis of the putative persistence ofListeria monocytogenesin a new industrial facility dedicated to the processing of ready-to-eat (RTE) Iberian pork products. Quaternary ammonium compounds, which included benzalkonium chloride (BAC), were repeatedly used as surface disinfectants in the processing plant. Clean and disinfected surfaces were sampled to evaluate if resistance to disinfectants was associated with persistence. Of the 14 isolates obtained from product contact and non-product contact surfaces, only five different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types were identified during the 27-month study period. Two of these PFGE types (S1 and S10-1) were previously identified to be persistent and BAC-resistant (BACr) strains in a geographically separate slaughterhouse belonging to the same company. The remaining three PFGE types, which were first identified in this study, were also BACr. Whole-genome sequencing andin silicomultilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis of five BACrisolates of the different PFGE types identified in this study showed that the isolate of the S1 PFGE type belonged to MLST sequence type 31 (ST31), a low-virulence type characterized by mutations in theinlAandprfAgenes. The isolates of the remaining four PFGE types were found to belong to MLST ST121, a persistent type that has been isolated in several countries. The ST121 strains contained the BAC resistance transposon Tn6188. The disinfection-resistantL. monocytogenespopulation in this RTE pork product plant comprised two distinct genotypes with different multidrug resistance phenotypes. This work offers insight into theL. monocytogenessubtypes associated with persistence in food processing environments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Matsui ◽  
Masato Suzuki ◽  
Masahiro Suzuki ◽  
Jun Yatsuyanagi ◽  
Masanori Watahiki ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMultidrug-resistant (MDR)Acinetobacterspp. have been globally disseminated in association with the successful clonal lineageAcinetobacter baumanniiinternational clone II (IC II). Because the prevalence of MDRAcinetobacterspp. in Japan remains very low, we characterized allAcinetobacterspp. (n= 866) from 76 hospitals between October 2012 and March 2013 to describe the entire molecular epidemiology ofAcinetobacterspp. The most prevalent species wasA. baumannii(n= 645; 74.5%), withA. baumanniiIC II (n= 245) accounting for 28.3% of the total. Meropenem-resistant isolates accounted for 2.0% (n= 17) and carried ISAba1-blaOXA-23-like(n= 10),blaIMP(n= 4), or ISAba1-blaOXA-51-like(n= 3). Multilocus sequence typing of 110 representativeA. baumanniiisolates revealed the considerable prevalence of domestic sequence types (STs).A. baumanniiIC II isolates were divided into the domestic sequence type 469 (ST469) (n= 18) and the globally disseminated STs ST208 (n= 14) and ST219 (n= 4). ST469 isolates were susceptible to more antimicrobial agents, while ST208 and ST219 overproduced the intrinsic AmpC β-lactamase.A. baumanniiIC II and someA. baumanniinon-IC II STs (e.g., ST149 and ST246) were associated with fluoroquinolone resistance. This study revealed that carbapenem-susceptibleA. baumanniiIC II was moderately disseminated in Japan. The low prevalence of acquired carbapenemase genes and presence of domestic STs could contribute to the low prevalence of MDRA. baumannii. A similar epidemiology might have appeared before the global dissemination of MDR epidemic lineages. In addition, fluoroquinolone resistance associated withA. baumanniiIC II may provide insight into the significance ofA. baumanniiepidemic clones.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Torresi ◽  
Massimiliano Orsini ◽  
Vicdalia Acciari ◽  
Gabriella Centorotola ◽  
Valeria Di Lollo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We report the chromosome and plasmid sequences of a strain of Listeria monocytogenes IVb variant 1, a recently emerging serotype, isolated in Italy from ready-to-eat vegetables.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (24) ◽  
pp. 8231-8238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Driss Elhanafi ◽  
Vikrant Dutta ◽  
Sophia Kathariou

ABSTRACT Quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzalkonium chloride (BC) are widely used as disinfectants in both food processing and medical environments. BC-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been implicated in multistate outbreaks of listeriosis and have been frequently isolated from food processing plants. However, the genetic basis for BC resistance in L. monocytogenes remains poorly understood. In this study, we have characterized a plasmid (pLM80)-associated BC resistance cassette in L. monocytogenes H7550, a strain implicated in the 1998-1999 multistate outbreak involving contaminated hot dogs. The BC resistance cassette (bcrABC) restored resistance to BC (MIC, 40 μg/ml) in a plasmid-cured derivative of H7550. All three genes of the cassette were essential for imparting BC resistance. The transcription of H7550 BC resistance genes was increased under sublethal (10 μg/ml) BC exposure and was higher at reduced temperatures (4, 8, or 25°C) than at 37°C. The level of transcription was higher at 10 μg/ml than at 20 or 40 μg/ml. In silico analysis suggested that the BC resistance cassette was harbored by an IS1216 composite transposon along with other genes whose functions are yet to be determined. The findings from this study will further our understanding of the adaptations of this organism to disinfectants such as BC and may contribute to the elucidation of possible BC resistance dissemination in L. monocytogenes.


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