Left knee septic monoarthritis in a pediatric patient due to shewanella putrefaciens: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Shewanella putrefaciens is a gram-negative, nonfermenting, oxidase-positive, hydrogen sulfide-producing bacillus and a halophilic bacterium, known for causing unusual infections in humans and often regarded as an opportunistic pathogen. Its diverse symptoms have a significant impact on human health, with 260 documented disorders reported in the literature over the last 40 years, highlighting its potential danger. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a previously healthy 15-year-old male patient who sustained a self-inflicted sharp-object injury while working in the field, resulting in secondary septic monoarthritis due to Shewanella putrefaciens. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the bacteriological and clinical characteristics, as well as the antibiogram, of Shewanella spp. Given the recent increase in notifications of Shewanella infections, predominantly by S. algae and S. putrefaciens, it is essential to consider these pathogens in patients with a history of contact with bodies of water. Special attention must be paid to their resistance patterns in patient management to prevent the development of intrinsic antimicrobial resistance.

Evidence of fish and human pathogens associated with doctor fish (Garra rufa, Heckel, 1843) used for cosmetic treatment.

Doctor fish (Garra rufa, Heckel, 1843) are increasingly used for cosmetic treatment raising particular concerns regarding the potential transmission of infections to clients. Investigations of microbial causes undertaken in two outbreaks of mortality among G. rufa used for cosmetic treatment revealed the presence of multiple bacteria, including both fish and human pathogens such as Aeromonas veronii, A. hydrophila, Vibrio cholerae, Shewanella putrefaciens, Mycobacterium marinum and M. goodii. This range of bacteria indicates an intense microbial proliferation involving multiple pathogens, most likely induced by the poor health condition of the fish. Most of the detected pathogens are well-known agents of zoonosis. Indeed, M. goodii is an emerging nosocomial human pathogen that has never been detected in fish to date, nor in other animals. This first detection of M. goodii associated with fish infection points out a new zoonotic potential for this pathogen. These findings point out that handling, poor environmental conditions and the presence of fish pathogens, that can compromise the immune system of fish, can result in a mixed microbial proliferation and increase the spread of waterborne bacteria, including zoonosis agents. Accordingly, the microbiological surveillance of fish used for cosmetic treatment is extremely important, particularly in association with mortality outbreaks.

Virulence, attachment and invasion of Caco-2 cells by multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from wild animals.

Wild animals may be considered important reservoirs for bacterial pathogens and, consequently, possible sources of infection for humans. In this study, selected multidrug-resistant bacteria (Acinetobacter spp., Aeromonas salmonicida, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Shewanella putrefaciens) isolated from wild animals were characterized on their ability to attach and invade/internalize human colonic carcinoma (Caco-2) cells. In addition, the viability of these bacteria to survive under simulated human gastrointestinal tract conditions as well as the production of virulence factors (homoserine lactones signal molecules, gelatinases, proteases, siderophores and biofilm formation) were studied. The results suggests that all the bacteria presented the capacity to attach and internalize into Caco-2 cells. A. salmonicida and P. fluorescens exhibited the highest ability to internalize. These bacteria were also found to be the highest proteases producers. A. salmonicida and K. pneumoniae survived under simulated human gastrointestinal conditions. These were the bacteria with the highest capacity to produce biofilms. K. pneumoniae was the only bacterium producing siderophores. Taken together, the present results reinforce the need for the "One Health" initiative, underscoring the environment and the animals as important reservoirs of infectious determinants.

Winter kill in intensively stocked channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus): Coinfection with Aeromonas veronii, Streptococcus parauberis and Shewanella putrefaciens.

Unusual persistent natural mortality occurred in a floating in-pond raceway system intensively stocked with channel and hybrid catfish beginning in early November 2016 up until March 2017. The temperature during the period of outbreak ranged from 7.2 to 23.7°C. Gross examination of freshly dead and moribund fish revealed pale gills, slight abdominal distension and swollen inflamed vents. Comprehensive necropsy of 20 fish demonstrated vast amounts of bloody ascitic fluid in the coelomic cavity, visceral congestion, splenomegaly and pale friable livers but macroscopically normal kidneys, suggesting systemic bacterial infection. Bacterial cultures were initiated from skin, gills and major internal organs. Following incubation, a mixture of three bacterial colony phenotypes was observed on agar plates. Presumptive biochemical characterization of the isolates followed by 16S-rRNA sequence analysis resulted in the identification of Aeromonas veronii, Streptococcus parauberis and Shewanella putrefaciens. Channel catfish juveniles were experimentally infected with the recovered isolates to fulfil Koch's postulates. Moreover, an antibiogram was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the isolates to antimicrobial drugs approved for use in aquaculture. Aquaflor was used successfully for treatment. Here, we report bacterial coinfection lead by A. veronii and the first identification of S. parauberis and S. putrefaciens from cultured catfish in North America.

Regulatory effects of Shewanella putrefaciens isolated from shrimp Penaeus orientalis on the virulence factors of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and evaluation of the role of quorum sensing in virulence factors regulation.

As an aquatic pathogen widely present in aquatic food, Vibrio parahaemolyticus causes outbreaks of gastroenteritis across the globe. Virulence factors of V. parahaemolyticus increases with the amount of spoilage in aquatic organisms including shrimp, but mechanisms regulating its virulence factors are not well understood. In this study, five spoilage bacteria isolated from shrimp were investigated for their regulatory effects on the virulence factors including haemolysin and biofilm of V. parahaemolyticus. Among these isolates, Shewanella putrefaciens induced haemolytic activity in V. parahaemolyticus in a time-dose-temperature-dependent manner and we found the main component responsible for this effect to be the supernatant or cell-free extract of S. putrefaciens. Total haemolytic activity, expression of the thermostable direct haemolysin gene tdh and biofilm production of V. parahaemolyticus were significantly up-regulated by S. putrefaciens, but also by deletion of quorum-sensing luxM or luxS gene of V. parahaemolyticus. However, this regulation by S. putrefaciens was significantly impaired by deletion of the luxM gene, but not by deletion of the luxS gene. Further study showed that S. putrefaciens exhibited a strong degradation ability on the signalling molecule acylated homoserine lactone (AHL) synthesised by the LuxM enzyme. This study revealed a novel virulence regulatory mechanism that S. putrefaciens can significantly increase the virulence factors of V. parahaemolyticus via interfering with the luxM- type quorum-sensing signalling pathway through its AHL-degradation ability.

A Rare Colonization in Peritoneum After Blunt Abdominal Trauma: S. putrefaciens and S. cerevisiae

BACKGROUND: Shewanella spp. are gram-negative bacteria, saprophytes, and rarely pathogenic. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the well-known yeast used for fermentation in industry and molecular biology for research. In humans, it is a very rare pathogen which colonizes the digestive tract, and its utility has been linked to the treatment and prevention of diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile. CASE REPORT: A 27-year-old male, victim of aggressive, blunt trauma with a 4-day history of symptoms was admitted to our surgery unit. Abdominal sonography revealed peritoneal fluid in all spaces with fibrin. We performed laparotomy and observed perforations on the ileum and general peritonitis with pus. Following surgery, patient was admitted to the intensive care unit with septic shock. The antibiogram from the peritoneal liquid revealed S. putrefaciens and S. cerevisiae. CONCLUSION: Although very rare, S. putrefaciens and S. cerevisiae may colonize in the peritoneum after blunt abdominal trauma.

Palmar Soft Tissue Infection From Shewanella putrefaciens.

Shewanella putrefaciens, a gram-negative bacillus, ubiquitous in marine environments, is an opportunistic agent reported to cause rare human infection, most commonly in patients who are immunocompromised or who have a preexisting soft tissue defect. We present an immunocompetent, 40-year-old woman with a soft tissue infection of the left palm caused by S. putrefaciens. The patient's infection was complicated by the presence of retained foreign bodies, seashell fragments, from a traumatic fall. Following appropriate evaluation and surgical treatment, our patient experienced a successful outcome with no recurrence of infection or deficit in the affected hand. This case report complements the growing literature regarding morbidity attributed to S. putrefaciens infection.

Proteomic assessment of the role of N-acyl homoserine lactone in Shewanella putrefaciens spoilage.

Shewanella spp. are the common spoilage organisms found in aquatic food products stored at low temperature and their spoilage mechanism has been reported to be mediated by quorum sensing (QS). However, the specifically expressed proteins responding to N-acyl homoserine-lactone (AHLs) were seldom reported. This study aims to evaluate the effects of different AHL signal molecules on Shewanella putrefaciens Z4 isolated from refrigerated turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) at the proteome level. The results revealed that exogenous AHLs were utilized as QS signal molecules by S. putrefaciens Z4, and AHLs were not degraded by intracellular or extracellular enzymes secreted by S. putrefaciens Z4. Twenty-three differently expressed spots upon the addition of AHLs were selected and identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results indicated that proteins involving in growth and metabolism (i.e. citrate synthase, succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase), environment adaptation and regulators (i.e. polysaccharide deacetylases, transaldolase) were down-regulated upon three kinds of AHLs (C4-HSL, C6-HSL and O-C6-HSL), whereas the abundance of stress response protein and DNA ligase were elevated by the addition of exogenous AHLs. Moreover, the effects of exogenous C6-HSL and O-C6-HSLwere prominent. These results provide evidence that AHL-based QS signal molecules affected some important metabolic properties of S. putrefaciens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHLs)-based quorum sensing signal molecules involving in the behavior regulation in most of the Gram-negative bacteria have widely been reported. This study aims to evaluate the effect of AHLs on Shewanella putrefaciens Z4 at the proteome level. It provides the theoretic basis for elucidating the spoilage mechanism of Shewanella spp., the common spoilage micro-organism in refrigerated marine aquatic food products.

A rare case of Shewanella putrefaciens bacteremia in a patient of road traffic accident.

Shewanella putrefaciens rarely causes human infection. These are mostly found in environment and food stuffs. Shewanella are often found in mixed culture. It has been implicated in cellulitis, otitis media, and septicemia. It may be found in respiratory tract, urine, feces, and pleural fluid. There is no definite guideline for therapeutic option. In general, these are susceptible to various antimicrobial agents but are often resistant to penicillin and cephalothin. We report a rare case of bacteremia by S. putrefaciens in a patient of head injury with polytrauma after a road traffic accident.

[Osteomyelitis due to Shewanella putrefaciens: case report and literature review]. / Osteomielitis por Shewanella putrefaciens: reporte de caso y revisión de literatura.

Shewanella putrefaciens is a Gram-negative bacillus and marine pathogen that rarely causes disease in humans. We report a case of osteomyelitis by this organism in a 48-year-old male patient, who presented with pain and erythema of the right foot that was initially diagnosed as cellulitis and did not revert despite treatment. He was transferred to Lima where osteomyelitis was diagnosed and started on empirical treatment with partial regression. A biopsy and culture of the compromised area found S. putrefaciens. The infection was treated according to the antibiotic sensitivity profile of the pathogen. S. putrefaciens infection represents a rare opportunistic infection of devitalized or exposed areas of the body. It is associated with residence in coastal areas and commonly affects the skin and soft tissues. Exceptional cases of osteomyelitis have been reported, but this is the first that involves the metatarsal bones.

Shewanella putrefaciens es un bacilo Gram negativo, patógeno marino que rara vez ocasiona enfermedad en humanos. Se presenta un caso de osteomielitis por este microorganismo en un paciente varón de 48 años, procedente de Chimbote. Presentó dolor y eritema en el pie derecho, inicialmente diagnosticado como celulitis, pero que no revirtió pese al tratamiento. Fue transferido a Lima donde se diagnosticó osteomielitis e inició tratamiento empírico con escasa mejoría. Por ello, se realizó una biopsia y cultivo de la zona comprometida, el metatarso, en el cual se aisló Shewanella putrefaciens. Se trató de acuerdo al perfil de sensibilidad. La infección por Shewanella putrefaciens representa una rara infección oportunista, que se localiza en áreas desvitalizadas o expuestas del cuerpo. Se asocia a vivir en zonas costeras, afectando comúnmente piel y tejidos blandos. Se han reportado casos excepcionales de osteomielitis. Este es el primero que involucra metatarso.

Shewanella putrefaciens in cultured tilapia detected by a new calcein-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Ca-LAMP) method.

Shewanella putrefaciens is being increasingly isolated from a wide variety of sources and is pathogenic to many marine and freshwater fish. For better control of this pathogen, there is a need for the development of simple and inexpensive but highly specific, sensitive, and rapid detection methods suitable for application in field laboratories. Our colorogenic loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay combined with calcein (Ca-LAMP) for unaided visual confirmation of LAMP amplicons is a simple method for fish pathogen detection in cultured tilapia. Here, we describe the detection of S. putrefaciens using the same platform. As before, the method gave positive results (orange to green color change) in 45 min at 63°C with sensitivity 100 times higher than that of a conventional PCR assay, with no cross-amplification of other known fish bacterial pathogens tested. Using the assay with 389 samples of gonads, fertilized eggs, and fry of farmed Nile and red tilapia Oreochromis spp., 35% of samples were positive for S. putrefaciens. The highest prevalence was found in samples of gonads (55%) and fertilized eggs (55%) from adult breeding stocks, indicating that S. putrefaciens could be passed on easily to fry used for stocking production ponds. Tissue tropism assays revealed that the spleen showed the highest colonization by S. putrefaciens in naturally infected tilapia and that it would be the most suitable organ for screening and monitoring fish stocks for presence of the bacteria.

Polygold-FISH for signal amplification of metallo-labeled microbial cells.

An improved in situ hybridization approach (Polygold-FISH) using biotinylated probes targeting multiple locations of the 16 S ribosomal subunit, followed by fluoronanogold-streptavidin labeling and autometallographic enhancement of nanogold particles was developed as a means of signal amplification of metallo-labeled cells, without the need for Catalyzed Reporter Deposition (CARD). Bacterial cells were readily detected based on their gold-particle signal using scanning-electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy when contrasted with controls or cells hybridized with a single probe. Polygold-FISH presents an alternative to CARD-FISH, circumventing the need for aggressive oxidants, which is useful when products of microbial respiration such as those relevant at the microbe-mineral interface could be altered during processing for visualization.

Phenotypical and genotypical characterization of Shewanella putrefaciens strains isolated from diseased freshwater fish.

Between 2007 and 2012, a variety of disease outbreaks most often characterized by skin disorders were observed among different species of freshwater fish in Poland. In most cases, the clinical signs included focally necrotized gills, necrotic skin lesions or ulcers. Internally, haemorrhages, oedematous kidney and abnormal spleen enlargement were generally noted. The disorders were accompanied by increased mortality. Most of the problems concerned cultured common carp Cyprinus carpio L. and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Fish have been examined from a number of these farms, and additionally, the wild and ornamental fish with similar clinical signs of diseases were also tested. Bacteria were isolated consistently from lesions and internal organs. They had characteristic orange-pigmented colonies which grew in pure culture or constituted 55-95% of total bacterial flora. One hundred and eighteen isolates were collected and biochemically identified as Shewanella putrefaciens group, and this was confirmed by sequencing. Challenge tests confirmed the pathogenicity of these bacteria. This is the first report characterizing and describing S. putrefaciens as a pathogen of different species of freshwater fish in Europe.

Shewanella putrefaciens infective endocarditis

Shewanella putrefaciens rarely causes infection in humans. In the last few decades a growing number of cases have been described. The following report outlines the case of a 40-year- old immunocompetent white man with S. putrefaciens infective endocarditis. This is the first known case of infective endocarditis due to an apparently monomicrobial S. putrefaciens infection, and the second known case of S. putrefaciens-related infective endocarditis worldwide.

Shewanella putrefaciens infective endocarditis.

Shewanella putrefaciens rarely causes infection in humans. In the last few decades a growing number of cases have been described. The following report outlines the case of a 40-year-old immunocompetent white man with S. putrefaciens infective endocarditis. This is the first known case of infective endocarditis due to an apparently monomicrobial S. putrefaciens infection, and the second known case of S. putrefaciens-related infective endocarditis worldwide.

Antibiotic resistance of Shewanella putrefaciens isolated from shellfish collected from the West Sea in Korea.

In this study, we isolated and characterized Shewanella putrefaciens from shellfish harvested from the West Sea in Korea. For the initial isolation of S. putrefaciens, LB agar plates supplemented with ferrous sulfate and sodium thiosulfate were inoculated with shellfish homogenates, incubated for 24h, and then black colonies were selected. Gram-negative and catalase-positive colonies were subsequently confirmed by PCR assays and API 20E kit test system. The Shewanella-specific 16S rRNA and gyrB genes were used to design S. putrefaciens-specific PCR primers. From 6 species of shellfish tested, 24 S. putrefaciens strains were isolated. These 24 isolates had the following profiles of resistance against 16 antibiotics: all the isolates were resistant to cephalothin and vancomycin and 95.8% were resistant to ampicillin. Here, we report the isolation of S. putrefaciens from shellfish and our results point to a new possible route for exposing healthy individuals to S. putrefaciens.