Phenotypic and genetic analyses of two Campylobacter fetus isolates from a patient with relapsed prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Campylobacter fetus can cause intestinal and systemic disease in humans and are well-established veterinary and economic pathogens. We report the complete genomic sequences of two C. fetus subsp. fetus (Cff) isolates recovered in 2017 (CITCf01) and 2018 (CITCf02) from a case of recurrent prosthetic valve endocarditis. Both were capable of growth aerobically. Their genomes were found to be highly conserved and syntenic with 99.97% average nucleotide identity (ANI) while differences in their respective sap loci defined the temporal separation of their genomes. Based on core genome phylogeny and ANI of 83 Cff genomes belonging to the previously described human-associated Cff lineage, CITCf01 and CITCf02 grouped in a clade of 11 sequence type (ST)3 Cff (including the Cff type strain NCTC 10842T). CITCf01 and CITCf02 were marked for their lack of unique genomic features when compared to isolates within the subspecies and the type strain in particular. We identified point mutations in oxidative stress response genes, among others, that may contribute to aerobiosis. We report a case of Cff causing relapsed prosthetic valve endocarditis and we highlight the sap island as a polymorphic site within the genetically stable ST3 lineage, central to pathogenicity.

Campylobacter fetus bacteremia and meningitis in an acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient undergoing maintenance therapy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter fetus is an uncommon Campylobacter species, and its infections mainly cause infective endocarditis, aortic aneurysm, and meningitis rather than enteritis. It is more likely to be detected in blood than Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli, specifically reported in 53% of patients. In our case, C. fetus was detected in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old woman, who was on maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), presented to our clinic with chief complaints of severe headache and nausea. Blood and CSF cultures revealed C. fetus. We administrated meropenem 2 g intravenously (IV) every 8 h for 3 weeks, and she was discharged without neurological sequelae. CONCLUSION: We encountered a case of C. fetus meningitis without gastrointestinal symptoms, neck stiffness or jolt accentuation in a patient with ALL. Undercooked beef was considered the source of C. fetus infection in this case, suggesting that the need for a neutropenic diet and safe food handling be considered.

Endovascularly Treated Superficial Femoral Artery Aneurysm Rupture Secondary to Campylobacter fetus Bacteremia: A Case Report.

Degenerative aneurysms of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) are relatively rare and often recognized when they become symptomatic such as rupture. Infected SFA aneurysms are much rarer, especially those caused by Campylobacter fetus bacteremia. We report a case of a 67-year-old woman referred to our hospital owing to the presence of a painful reddish swelling on her left thigh. A huge SFA aneurysm rupture was diagnosed, and endovascular treatment with a covered stent was performed. C. fetus was detected in the blood culture thereafter, and antibacterial therapy was successfully performed without any additional surgical interventions. She remained well without any evidence of indolent infection 19 months after the endovascular treatment. The endovascular approach with appropriate prolonged antibacterial therapy would be a feasible alternative for managing selected infected aneurysm cases.

Genotyping and antibiotic resistance patterns of Campylobacter fetus subsp.venerealis from cattle farms in India.

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv) is of considerable economic importance to the cattle industry worldwide. Cfv causes syndrome of temporary infertility in female cattle, early embryonic mortality, aberrant oestrus cycles, delayed conception, abortions and poor calving rates. In the present study, a total of 200 samples obtained from vaginal swabs, cervicovaginal mucous (CVM), preputial washes and semen straws were investigated that were obtained from organized cattle farm of MLRI, Manasbal and unorganized sectors. Out of a total of 200 samples, 49 (47·57%) vaginal swabs, 1 (3·33%) preputial wash and 8 (25%) carried out CVM samples were positive for Cfv, whereas none of the semen straws were positive for Cfv. A total of eleven isolates of Cfv were recovered. PFGE (Pulse field gel electrophoresis) analysis revealed four different pulsotypes (I-IV) circulating in the screened farms. A common pulsotype circulating among farms could not be established. Insertion element (ISCfe1), a 233 bp amplicon of Cfv, was sequenced and the sequence was deposited in GenBank (accession no: MK475662).

Fluorescence in situ hybridization in species-specific diagnosis of ovine Campylobacter abortions.

Campylobacter infection is a leading cause of ovine abortion worldwide. Campylobacter fetus and C. jejuni are the major species involved. We report herein on abortion storms in 4 Danish sheep flocks. Initially, no pathogenic bacteria were isolated from placental and fetal tissues on aerobic and selective media despite the presence of severe suppurative and necrotizing placentitis with numerous bacteria located intracellularly in trophoblasts. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was then applied on abortion material from 13 cases; species-specific oligonucleotide probes directed against either C. fetus or C. jejuni were used in combination with a general bacterial probe. C. fetus was detected as the only lesion-associated bacterial species in 4 cases from 2 flocks, and C. jejuni in 6 cases from the other 2 flocks, thereby establishing the likely etiology of the abortion storms in all 4 flocks. FISH is a useful detection tool in culture-negative cases with tissue lesions suggestive of bacterial infection. Furthermore, FISH is a fast and economical method to detect and identify the zoonotic agent Campylobacter within ovine abortion material.

Identification of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis virulence genes in cervical mucus from cows.

We used the polymerase chain reaction to identify virulence genes in cervico-vaginal mucus samples from cows positive for Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis. There was positivity for the pldA, racR, dnaJ, cdtA, and cdtB genes. No samples showed the cdtC, ciaB, cadF, wlaN, and virB11 genes.

First reported detection of biofilm formation by Campylobacter fetus during investigation of a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

AIMS: Campylobacter fetus subsp fetus (CFF) can cause intestinal illness, particularly in immunocompromised humans, with the potential to cause severe systemic infections. CFF is a zoonotic pathogen with a broad host range among farm animals and humans, inducing abortion in sheep and cows. The current paper describes a strain of CFF isolated from a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis in Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland, during 2017. Only five cases of C. fetus as a cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis have been reported in the literature, with no reports of biofilm formation within the species. METHODS: The aetiological strain was speciated and subspeciated by the VITEK 2 NH card and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. CFF biofilm formation was analysed using a crystal violet staining method. C. jejuni National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) 11168 was used as a positive control organism. Strains were incubated statically in Mueller-Hinton broth and Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with 0.025% sodium deoxycholate for 3 and 7 days at 37°C, microaerobically. RESULTS: The CFF strain formed stronger attached biofilms on polystyrene plates on day 3 (72 hours) than the C. jejuni NCTC 11168 control strain, but were weaker than the control strain on day 7 in Mueller-Hinton broth. Monoculture of this C. fetus isolate was found to exist in three defined forms of biofilms (attached, air-liquid interface and floccules). CONCLUSIONS: This clinically significant C. fetus isolate showed considerable biofilm-forming capability, which we suggest conferred a survivalist advantage, contributing to the genesis of infective prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Campylobacter fetus spondylodiscitis in a patient with HIV infection and restored CD4 count.

Campylobacter fetus (C. fetus) is a rare condition and mostly seen in elderly or immunocompromised patients. We present the first case of C. fetus spondylodiscitis in a virologically suppressed HIV seropositive patient with low back pain. MRI was performed and showed spondylodiscitis of the L4-L5 region. Empirical antibiotic therapy with flucloxacillin was started after blood cultures were drawn and an image-guided disc biopsy was performed. Blood cultures remained negative. The anaerobic culture of the puncture biopsy of the disc revealed presence of C. fetus after which the antibiotic treatment was switched to ceftriaxone. Guided by the susceptibility results, the therapy was switched to ciprofloxacin orally for 6 weeks after which the patient made full clinical, biochemical and radiographic recovery. Since no other immune-deficient conditions were noted, it is important to highlight that patients with HIV infection with restored CD4 counts and complete virological suppression can still be susceptible for infections caused by rare pathogens. Low back pain should raise suspicion for these conditions and should be examined properly.

Successful Empiric Therapy for Postsplenectomy Sepsis with Campylobacter fetus in an Abattoir Worker with Follicular Lymphoma.

Asplenia may yield an increased risk of fulminant sepsis with various pathogens. Human infection with Campylobacter fetus is rare, but it often presents with non-gastrointestinal tract infection among immunocompromised individuals. A 55-year-old abattoir worker presented with a fever. He had had splenectomy for follicular lymphoma and rituximab maintenance therapy by four months before the presentation. Blood cultures yielded C. fetus, and the administration of meropenem dissolved the bacteremia. Further maintenance therapy was withheld, and no recurrence of infection has been observed for seven years. Asplenia, occupational exposure, and/or rituximab maintenance therapy might have been precipitating factors of this rare infection.

Epidemiologic cutoff values to separate wild-type from non-wild-type Campylobacter fetus to ciprofloxacin.

The aim of the present study was to propose epidemiologic cutoffs that could be used in routine practice to separate wild-type from non-wild-type Campylobacter fetus to ciprofloxacin. A total of 123 C. fetus isolates obtained from human samples were used for this purpose. Based on the determination of inhibition zone diameter, minimum inhibitory concentration, and sequencing of the quinolone resistance determining region in the gyraseA gene, for all tested isolates, the following cutoffs were proposed: ciprofloxacin-wild type if the inhibition zone diameter was ≥22 mm or the minimum inhibitory concentration was ≤0.5 mg/L.

Identification of Campylobacter fetus by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Two new DNA FISH-probes for Campylobacter fetus were designed, in silico checked for cross-reactions and successfully evaluated in a multi-centric approach with 41 Campylobacter fetus isolates including isolates of all three know subspecies: Campylobacter fetus ssp. fetus, Campylobacter fetus ssp. venerealis, and Campylobacter fetus ssp. testudinum and 40 strains of five non-target Campylobacter species.

Prosthetic hip joint infection caused by Campylobacter fetus: a case report and literature review / Infección de prótesis de cadera causada por Campylobacter fetus: descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura

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[Outbreak of Campylobacter fetus infection after consumption of unpasteurized sheep's milk cheeses: how to trace the source?] / Een uitbraak met Campylobacter fetus na het eten van rauwmelkse schapenkaas.

Campylobacter fetus is a species of gram-negative bacteria whose primary reservoir is the gastrointestinal tracts of cattle and sheep. Human infections are rare, though often invasive and sometimes fatal. In this paper, we studied an outbreak of six patients with a C. fetus infection and outlined their disease histories. In each case we were able to identify factors that led to a reduced resistance, including pre-existing illnesses and old age. Because of the unusually high number of patients that presented in a time period of only five months, the Community Health Services were commissioned to identify the source of infection. Using whole genome sequencing, we showed that 5 out of 6 patients belonged to the same cluster. This One Health approach resulted in the conclusion that the infection originated from unpasteurized sheep's milk processed into unripened cheese. Finally, various measures were put into place to prevent any further outbreaks.

Pericarditis caused by Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus associated with ingestion of raw beef liver.

Campylobacter fetus is an organism residing primarily in the gastrointestinal tracts of cattle and sheep and transmitting to humans through ingestion of contaminated food products or surface water. The organism has caused various extraintestinal infections but, to date, purulent pericarditis due to the organism has rarely been described. We report a case of purulent pericarditis due to C. fetus subsp. fetus, occurring in a patient having several predisposing conditions, including receiving hemodialysis therapy, recent surgery for cecal cancer, and administration of esomeprazole. The patient mentioned having eaten homemade raw beef liver two weeks before the onset, suggesting that the ingested food product was contaminated with C. fetus and the organism transmitted to the pericardium through the bloodstream although blood culture was negative. The causative organism, recovered from the pericardial effusion, was unidentifiable with commercial systems but determinable with molecular methods at the subspecies level. The patient fully improved with pericardiocentesis and subsequent administration of ciprofloxacin, to which the organism was considered susceptible, for a total of four weeks. This is the first case of C. fetus pericarditis in which a history of ingesting a raw food product was clearly mentioned.

Application of direct polymerase chain reaction assays for Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis and Tritrichomonas foetus to screen preputial samples from breeding bulls in cow-calf herds in western Canada.

The primary objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv) and Tritrichomonas foetus in breeding bulls from a sentinel cohort of cow-calf herds in western Canada and to estimate the association between positive test status and non-pregnancy. The final objective was to evaluate the application of these tests when: i) screening bulls in the absence of a recognized problem with reproductive performance, and ii) testing for diagnosis of poor pregnancy rates. The crude apparent bull prevalence for Cfv was 1.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5% to 2.1%; 8/735] and herd prevalence was 2.6% (95% CI: 0.3% to 9.0%; 2/78). The crude apparent bull prevalence for T. foetus was < 0.001% (95% CI: 0.0% to 0.5%; 0/735) and herd prevalence was < 0.001% (95% CI: 0.0% to 4.6%; 0/78). Cows from herds where at least 1 bull was test positive for Cfv were 2.35 times more likely (95% CI: 1.01% to 5.48%; P = 0.047) to not be pregnant than those with no positive bulls. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of preputial material collected into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was recommended for screening for T. foetus when the pre-test probability of infection was > 1%. The same test for Cfv was not recommended for screening moderate- and low-risk herds due to the high risk of false positives. Tests for both T. foetus and Cfv can be used to investigate herds with reproductive problems when also ruling out other risk factors. Regardless of the type of test used, however, 3 negative tests are required to rule out infection in high-risk situations.

Les objectifs primaires de la présente étude étaient d'estimer la prévalence de Campylobacter fetus ssp. venerealis (Cfv) et Tritrichomonas foetus chez des taureaux reproducteurs d'une cohorte sentinelle issue de troupeaux vache-veau dans l'ouest canadien et d'estimer l'association entre un test positif et la non-gestation. L'objectif final était d'évaluer l'application de ces tests lors de : i) vérification des taureaux en absence d'un problème reconnu avec les performances de reproduction, et ii) épreuve diagnostique en présence de faibles taux de gestation. La prévalence apparente brute des taureaux pour Cfv était de 1,1 % [intervalle de confiance (IC) 95 % : 0,5 % à 2,1 %; 8/735] et la prévalence pour les troupeaux était de 2,6 % (IC 95 % : 0,3 % à 9,0 %; 2/78). La prévalence apparente brute des taureaux pour T. foetus était < 0,001 % (IC 95 % : 0,0 % à 0,5 %; 0/735) et la prévalence pour les troupeaux était < 0,001 % (IC 95 % 0,0 % à 4,6 %; 0/78). Les vaches provenant de troupeaux où au moins un taureau s'était avéré positif pour Cfv étaient 2,35 fois plus susceptibles (IC 95 % : 1,01 à 5,48; P = 0,047) de ne pas être gestante que celles provenant de troupeaux sans aucun taureau positif. L'analyse par réaction d'amplification en chaine par la polymérase de matériel prépucial prélevé dans de la saline tamponnée était recommandée pour vérifier la présence de T. foetus lorsque la probabilité d'infection pré-test était > 1 %. Le même type d'analyse pour Cfv n'était pas recommandé pour la vérification des troupeaux à risque modéré et faible étant donné le risque élevé de faux positifs. Les tests pour T. foetus et Cfv peuvent être utilisés pour investiguer les troupeaux avec des problèmes de reproduction en même temps que les autres facteurs de risque sont éliminés. Toutefois, indépendamment du type de test utilisé trois tests négatifs sont requis pour éliminer la possibilité de l'infection dans les situations à risque élevé.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).

Myositis Ossificans of the Hip Due to Pyogenic Arthritis Caused by Campylobacter fetus Subspecies fetus.

A 61-year-old woman was admitted with severe hip pain causing immobility and high serum levels of inflammatory markers. The patient had a medical history of diabetes. She had been scheduled to undergo right hip replacement surgery for the treatment of osteoarthritis associated with gradually progressive pain. On admission, an enhanced abdominal computed tomography scan showed an abnormal increase in synovial fluid surrounding the right ilium, with piriformis muscle calcification. Subsequent blood and specimen cultures identified Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus. This is a rare report of a case of myositis ossificans followed by C. fetus pyogenic arthritis of the hip.