Alternative strategy for visceral leishmaniosis control: HisAK70-Salmonella Choleraesuis-pulsed dendritic cells.

Here, we describe a novel approach that exploits an attenuated mutant of Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis as carrier to deliver a plasmid encoding protein HisAK70. Subsequently, dendritic cells (DCs) were pulsed with this vaccine vector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the prepared HisAK70-S. Choleraesuis-pulsed DCs (HisAK70-SAL DCs) against visceral leishmaniosis (VL). In our ex vivo model of infection, the prepared formulations could decrease parasite growth by up to 80% by augmenting the production of IL-12p40 and by reducing arginase activity (ARG). Also, BALB/c mice when immunised with this formulation showed significant reduction in parasite burden in both spleen (20% of reduction) and liver (75% of reduction). The balance of the immune ratios IFN-γ/IL-10, TNF-α/IL-10, and IgG2a/IgG1 reflected the acquisition of an improved resistant phenotype in HisAK70-SAL DCs vaccinated mice compared to control mice. Our results suggest that HisAK70-SAL DCs could be a promising alternative approach for vaccine delivery that has the potential to fight Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection.

The zoonotic potential of Lactococcus garvieae: An overview on microbiology, epidemiology, virulence factors and relationship with its presence in foods.

Lactococcus garvieae is a relevant worldwide fish pathogen affecting various farmed and wild marine and freshwater species. It has also been isolated from other animals, such as ruminants with subclinical mastitis and pigs with pneumonia. From the early 90s, L. garvieae has been associated with different human infections, mainly endocarditis. During the last five years, human infections by this bacterium appear to be increasing, likely due to the improvement in microbiological methods for bacterial identification and the alertness of this bacterium by physicians. Human L. garvieae infections have been associated with the consumption or the handling of contaminated raw fish or seafood, and recently, a genetic study showed that meat, raw milk and dairy products may also be food sources of human L. garvieae infections. However, the status of L. garvieae as a potential zoonotic bacterium is still controversial to date. In this work, we describe four new human infections by L. garvieae in elderly and inmunocompromised patients, and we show an overview on L. garvieae microbiology, epidemiology, virulence factors and relationship with its presence in foods.

Genetic analysis of human clinical isolates of Lactococcus garvieae: Relatedness with isolates from foods.

Lactococcus garvieae is a Gram-positive bacterium well-known as an important pathogen in aquaculture, and it is also a human pathogen of increasing clinical significance. Forty-three human L. garvieae isolates from clinical specimens were characterized by Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST). Twenty-six different sequence types (STs) were identified among the human isolates, of which 20 were novel STs. Most human isolates clustered into four clonal complexes, with a predominance of CC3. Within CC3, ST10 was the most common genotype, indicating the existence of a circulating genetic lineage among the human isolates analyzed. The four CCs also grouped L. garvieae strains isolated from meat, dairy and fish, indicating a genetic overlap between isolates from human and these foods. Genetic relatedness among human and food L. garvieae isolates was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences of the seven MLST genes. These results represent the first evidence of genetic relatedness between isolates of L. garvieae of human and those isolated meat, milk and dairy products and suggest that, in addition to fish and seafood, these foods might represent important sources of human L. garvieae infections.

Skin and subcutaneous mycoses in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) caused by Fusarium oxysporum in coinfection with Aeromonas hydrophila.

Subcutaneous mycoses in freshwater fish are rare infections usually caused by oomycetes of the genus Saprolegnia and some filamentous fungi. To date, Fusarium infections in farmed fish have only been described in marine fish. Here, we report the presence of Fusarium oxysporum in subcutaneous lesions of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Histopathologic evaluation revealed granuloma formation with fungal structures, and the identity of the etiological agent was demonstrated by morphological and molecular analyses. Some of the animals died as a result of systemic coinfection with Aeromonas hydrophila.

Post-stained Western blotting, a useful approach in immunoproteomic studies.

The precise localisation of immunogenic proteins on stained two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) gels is occasionally difficult, contributing to the erroneous identification of unrelated non-immunogenic proteins, which is expensive and time consuming. This inconvenience can be solved by performing immunoblotting using previously stained polyacrylamide gels. This approach was proposed nearly 20 years ago but is now almost forgotten. We have evaluated the suitability of this approach to identify immunogenic proteins from Lactococcus garvieae. Some of the immunogenic proteins identified in L. garvieae, such as Gls24, have been considered important as immunotarget in different bacterial species. Post-staining western blotting facilitated the correct selection of immunogenic proteins of interest in 2D gels before their identification.

Lactococcus garvieae carries a chromosomally encoded pentapeptide repeat protein that confers reduced susceptibility to quinolones in Escherichia coli producing a cytotoxic effect.

This study characterises a chromosomal gene of Lactococcus garvieae encoding a pentapeptide repeat protein designated as LgaQnr. This gene has been implicated in reduced susceptibility to quinolones in this bacterium, which is of relevance to both veterinary and human medicine. All of the L. garvieae isolates analysed were positive for the lgaqnr gene. The expression of lgaqnr in Escherichia coli reduced the susceptibility to quinolones, producing an adverse effect. The reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was 16-fold in E. coli ATCC 25922 and 32-fold in E. coli DH10B, compared to the control strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration of nalidixic acid was also increased 4 or 5-fold. The effect of the expression of lgaqnr in E. coli was investigated by electron microscopy and was observed to affect the structure of the cell and the inner membrane of the recombinant cells.

Characterization of plasmids in a human clinical strain of Lactococcus garvieae.

The present work describes the molecular characterization of five circular plasmids found in the human clinical strain Lactococcus garvieae 21881. The plasmids were designated pGL1-pGL5, with molecular sizes of 4,536 bp, 4,572 bp, 12,948 bp, 14,006 bp and 68,798 bp, respectively. Based on detailed sequence analysis, some of these plasmids appear to be mosaics composed of DNA obtained by modular exchange between different species of lactic acid bacteria. Based on sequence data and the derived presence of certain genes and proteins, the plasmid pGL2 appears to replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism, while the other four plasmids appear to belong to the group of lactococcal theta-type replicons. The plasmids pGL1, pGL2 and pGL5 encode putative proteins related with bacteriocin synthesis and bacteriocin secretion and immunity. The plasmid pGL5 harbors genes (txn, orf5 and orf25) encoding proteins that could be considered putative virulence factors. The gene txn encodes a protein with an enzymatic domain corresponding to the family actin-ADP-ribosyltransferases toxins, which are known to play a key role in pathogenesis of a variety of bacterial pathogens. The genes orf5 and orf25 encode two putative surface proteins containing the cell wall-sorting motif LPXTG, with mucin-binding and collagen-binding protein domains, respectively. These proteins could be involved in the adherence of L. garvieae to mucus from the intestine, facilitating further interaction with intestinal epithelial cells and to collagenous tissues such as the collagen-rich heart valves. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the characterization of plasmids in a human clinical strain of this pathogen.

Genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae 8831, isolated from rainbow trout lactococcosis outbreaks in Spain.

Lactococcus garvieae is the etiological agent of lactococcosis, one of the most important disease threats to the sustainability of the rainbow trout farming industry. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae strain 8831, isolated from diseased rainbow trout, which is composed of 2,087,276 bp with a G+C content of 38%.

Genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae 21881, isolated in a case of human septicemia.

Lactococcus garvieae is a Gram-positive bacterium considered an important opportunistic emerging human pathogen and also a well-recognized fish pathogen. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae strain 21881 (2,164,557 bp, with a G+C content of 37.9%), which represents the first report of a genome sequence on Lactococcus garvieae.

Occurrence of the oribatid mite Trhypochthoniellus longisetus longisetus (Acari: Trhypochthoniidae) on tilapia Oreochromis niloticus.

Mites as parasites infesting fish have been described in a few case reports involving Histiostoma anguillarum, H. papillata, and Schwiebea estradai. We describe the unexpected occurrence of oribatid mites of the genus Trhypochthoniellus on farmed tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The fish had mites on the skin, fins, and gills, as well as in the mouth. The morphological characteristics of the mites, observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, were consistent with those described for T. longisetus longisetus. All stages of development were observed, suggesting that the mites were able to actively reproduce on fish.

Utilization of lactose and presence of the phospho-β-galactosidase (lacG) genein Lactococcus garvieae isolatesfrom different sources

This study evaluates the utilization of lactose (Lac) and the presence of the phospho-β-galactosidase (lacG) gene as markers for distinguishing between fish (Lac-/lacG-) and dairy isolates (Lac+/lacG+) of Lactococcus garvieae, using a panel of L. garvieae isolates from different sources. None of the fish isolates produced acid from lactose (Lac-), however Lac-/lacG- isolates were observed in pigs, cows, birds and humans. Most of the dairy isolates (77.8%) were Lac+/lacG+, but some dairy isolates did not produce acid from this sugar. Data in the present study show that the ability to metabolize lactose and the presence of the lacG gene are heterogeneously scattered among L. garvieae isolates of different sources. Therefore, the use of these criteria as markers to differentiate between L. garvieae isolates of dairy and fish origin should be considered with caution (AU)

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Utilization of lactose and presence of the phospho-ß-galactosidase (lacG) gene in Lactococcus garvieae isolates from different sources.

This study evaluates the utilization of lactose (Lac) and the presence of the phospho-ß-galactosidase (lacG) gene as markers for distinguishing between fish (Lac-/lacG-) and dairy isolates (Lac+/lacG+) of Lactococcus garvieae, using a panel of L. garvieae isolates from different sources. None of the fish isolates produced acid from lactose (Lac-), however Lac-/lacG- isolates were observed in pigs, cows, birds and humans. Most of the dairy isolates (77.8%) were Lac+/lacG+, but some dairy isolates did not produce acid from this sugar. Data in the present study show that the ability to metabolize lactose and the presence of the lacG gene are heterogeneously scattered among L. garvieae isolates of different sources. Therefore, the use of these criteria as markers to differentiate between L. garvieae isolates of dairy and fish origin should be considered with caution.

Development of a PCR assay for Streptococcus iniae based on the lactate oxidase (lctO) gene with potential diagnostic value.

Streptococcus iniae is a well-known pathogen of both fish and humans that is difficult to identify by conventional biochemical tests. A PCR assay based on the lactate oxidase (lctO) gene of S. iniae was developed for the rapid and specific detection and identification of this pathogen from different sources. The PCR assay had a detection limit of 62-31 cells, and 25 pg of DNA per PCR reaction mixture. The PCR was also effective in detecting the bacterium from inoculated tissue homogenates, suggesting its potential use for a rapid and accurate diagnosis of S. iniae infections.

Analysis of the gyrA gene of clinical Yersinia ruckeri isolates with reduced susceptibility to quinolones.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of seven clinical strains of Yersinia ruckeri representative of those isolated between 1994 and 2002 from a fish farm with endemic enteric redmouth disease was studied. All isolates displayed indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis restriction patterns, indicating that they represented a single strain. However, considering both inhibition zone diameters (IZD) and MICs, the isolates recovered in 2001-2002 formed a separate cluster with lower levels of susceptibility to all the quinolones tested, especially nalidixic acid (NA) and oxolinic acid (OA), compared with the isolates recovered between 1994 and 1998. Analysis of the PCR product of the quinolone resistance-determining region of the gyrA gene from clinical isolates of Y. ruckeri with reduced susceptibility to OA and NA revealed a single amino acid substitution, Ser-83 to Arg-83 (Escherichia coli numbering). Identical substitution was observed in induced OA-resistant mutant strains, which displayed IZD and MICs of quinolones similar to those of the clinical isolates of Y. ruckeri with reduced susceptibility to these antimicrobial agents. These data indicate in that for Y. ruckeri, the substitution of Ser by Arg at position 83 of the gyrA gene is associated with reduced susceptibility to quinolones.

PCR detection and PFGE DNA macrorestriction analyses of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas anguilliseptica from winter disease outbreaks in sea bream Sparus aurata.

A PCR-based detection system for Pseudomonas anguilliseptica was evaluated. The primer combination PAF-PAR (forward primer PAF = 5'-GACCTCGCCATTA-3', reverse primer PAR = 5'-CTCAGCAGTTTTGAAAG-3') gave a unique and specific amplification product of 439 bp at an annealing temperature of 46 degrees C with all the P. anguilliseptica isolates and strains (n = 56) but no amplification products were observed with any other Pseudomonas species or phylogenetically related bacteria tested. The PCR assay had a detection limit of 170 to 200 cells per PCR tube, which was improved 8-fold when the PCR amplification product was used as a nonradioacfive probe in blotting hybridization experiments. The PCR assay allowed the specific and reliable detection of P. anguilliseptica within 8 h, compared with up to 10 d required for its isolation and further characterization by conventional microbiological approaches. Clinical isolates of P. anguilliseptica recovered from several winter disease (WD) outbreaks diagnosed in sea bream Sparus aurata in Spain and Portugal between 1996 and 2001 were characterized by pulse field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE) macrorestriction analysis. The 54 clinical isolates analyzed were included in 4 different pulsotypes. Pulsotypes B and C represented 54 and 25% of the isolates, respectively, and were responsible for most of the WD outbreaks diagnosed in Spain between 1996 and 2001. The implication of asymptomatic infected carriers in the dissemination and spread of WD is discussed.