Plesiomonas shigelloides in water and fish

Plesiomonas shigelloides strains isolated from aquariums, surface water and fish were serotyped using the international antigenic scheme and a provisional scheme designed for environmental strains, called the "Schubert" scheme. A remarkable variety of serovars represented in both schemes was found, namely in surface water samples and in fish.     

Plesiomonas shigelloides and its serovars in animals in the Czech Republic--region Moravia

In the period of 1994-1997, 4,552 samples of sectional, clinical material and environment were examined for the presence of Plesiomonas shigelloides. In 55 cases (1,21%) Plesiomonas shigelloides was isolated. Within 55 isolated strains, 26 serovars have been successfully identified. Among other secured cases was Plesiomonas shigelloides isolated in pig (Sus scrofa domestica), mouse Mus musculus), binturong (Arctictis binturong) and raccoon (Pocyon lotor). In mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) the strain of Plesiomonas shigelloides with a new 0 antigen-097 was isolated. In regard of the particular biological classes, the isolation of Plesiomonas shigelloides in fish (2.63%) predominate, followed by reptiles (1.66%), mammals (0.94%) and birds (0.79%). Plesiomonas shigelloides in amphibians was not demonstrated. This work surveys the incidence of Plesiomonas shigelloides and its serovars in animals in the region Moravia in the Czech Republic.     

A study of Plesiomonas shigelloides from human, pets and aquatic environments

The present study was performed for determination of distribution of P. Shigelloides in human, pet animals, fish and shellfish and water in Alexandria. P. Shigelloides was recovered from 3.2% of diarrheal patients and 2.67% food handlers indicating the importance of plesiomonas as one of the enteric pathogen and reflecting the public health hazard in Egypt. This organism was found to be more pathogenic in infants as 75% of the diarrheal patients were infants under 2 years of age. The isolation rate was higher in summer which is considered the season of increased diarrheal illness. From dogs and cats samples, plesiomonas was recovered from 8% of dogs samples. Out of 120 fish and shellfish samples 18.57% of fish and 8.6% of shellfish samples yielded plesiomonas. Plesiomonas was also recovered from 32 out of 100 water samples, 24 (42.86%) from fresh water. This study shows that P. Shigelloides seem to be one of the current causes of diarrheal illness in Egypt.     

New serovars of Plesiomonas shigelloides--1992-1998

Most of the 26 new O (O77-O102) and 10 new H (H42-H50) and H1a1d antigens were found in various P. shigelloides strains isolated from man and other mammals, birds, fish, and water and water insects, not only in the Czech Republic but also in 12 foreign countries.     

Listeria spp. in the coastal environment of the Aqaba Gulf, Suez Gulf and the Red Sea

Listeria monocytogenes is an important pathogen which causes an infection called listeriosis. Because of the high mortality rate (~30%) associated with listeriosis, and the widespread nature of the organism, it is a major concern for food and water microbiologists since it has been isolated from various types of foods, including seafood, as well as from the aqueous environment. To investigate the prevalence of this pathogen in the Aqaba Gulf (12 sites), Suez Gulf (14 sites) and Red Sea (14 sites), 200 water samples (collected during five sampling cruises in 2004), 40 fresh fish samples and 15 shellfish samples were analysed using the enrichment procedure and selective agar medium. All water samples were also examined for the presence Listeria innocua which was the most common of the Listeria spp. isolated, followed by L. monocytogenes, with a low incidence of the other species. During the whole year, the percentage of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in 200 water samples was 20.5% (41 samples) and 13% (26 samples) respectively. In fresh fish (40 samples) it was 37% (15 samples) and 17.3% (7 samples) and in shellfish (15 samples) 53% (8 samples) and 33% (5 samples) respectively. In water samples, there was an association between the faecal contamination parameters and the presence of the pathogen; however, water salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH did not influence the occurrence of this bacterium. These results may help in the water-quality evaluation of the coastal environments of these regions.     

Prevalence of Plesiomonas shigelloides in aquatic environments

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a gram negative, facultatively anaerobic rod that has been implicated in a number of outbreaks of sporadic and epidemic gastroenteritis, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It was isolated with high frequency from aquatic environments particularly fresh water and even drinking water. The present study was pursued to determine the incidence of the microorganism in tap and raw water samples, to correlate its presence with residual chlorine levels and to evaluate the seasonal effect on incidence. This information about these parameters is not available for the city of Caracas, Venezuela. Samples were streaked directly on inositol-brilliant green-bile salts agar (IBB) and Plesiomonas agar (PL). In addition, at least 100 ml of each sample was concentrated through a 0.45 mum Millipore membrane filter, which was enriched on alkaline peptone water (pH 8.6) during 24 h at 35 C. Enrichments were streaked on IBB and PL agar plates. All plates were incubated at 35 C for 24 h. Isolates were characterized using biochemical tests. The microorganism was not isolated from tap water samples. On raw water samples, a higher incidence was observed during the warmer season. Results indicated that water is a possible microorganism reservoir but the observed residual chlorine levels appear to be effective in controlling public health risk due to the microorganism's presence in drinking water.     

Distribution of vibrio species isolated from aquatic environments with TCBS agar

Environmental bacteria grown on TCBS agar plates (TCBS strains) were investigated for the presence ofVibrio cholerae in aquatic environments. TCBS strain counts were 0.01 – 0.001 times the total viable counts in pairs of the same samples. The TCBS strains were of two types which required N_aCl (salt strain) and did not require N_aCl (non-salt strain) to grow in peptone water. Non-salt strains made up 85.3 – 92.1% of TCBS strains isolated from river water. TCBS strains isolated from an estuary contained 40.9% of non-salt strains and 57.4% of salt strains. Salt strains made up 69.2 – 86.8% of TCBS strains isolated from seawater. The percentages ofVibrio species in TCBS strains were 11.9 – 47.9%. V.alginolyticus andV. parahaemolyticus were isolated from seawater.V. vulnificus was only isolated from estuary water.V. cholerae non-Ol was isolated from both river water and estuary water which had low salinity.V. fluvialis was isolated from all three aquatic environments. This investigation suggests thatVibrio species were present in each sample station and thatV. cholerae existed in river water.     

Isolation of Yersinia, campylobacter, Plesiomonas and Aeromonas from environmental water and fresh water fishes]

Yersinia, Campylobacter, Plesiomonas and Aeromonas are known causative agents in waterborne diseases. For about 10 years, outbreak of diarrhea has been observed, especially among children, in the mountain areas of Okayama. Y. pseudotuberculosis recently isolated from non-chlorinated drinking water sources such as mountain streams and wells has been suspected to be the causative bacteria of the disease. Attempts were made to isolate Yersinia and Campylobacter from water samples from rivers in rural areas and Plesiomonas and Aeromonas from samples of well water and fresh water fishes in Okayama prefecture from 1987 to 1990. The isolation rate of Yersinia from river water samples was 7.5% with a higher rate in the mountain areas than in the nonmountain areas. While Y. enterocolitica was isolated throughout the year, Y. pseudotuberculosis was only seen during the winter. Various serogroups including human types of Y. enterocolitica and serogroup 2B, 4A and UT of Y. pseudotuberculosis were detected. Campylobacter was isolated from 0.5% of river water samples. Plesiomonas from 1.5% of fresh water fishes, and Aeromonas was isolated from 6.9% of well water samples and 47.1% of fresh water fishes.     

Infection of cats with atypical feline coronaviruses harbouring a truncated form of the canine type I non-structural ORF3 gene

Feline and canine coronaviruses (FCoV and CCoV, respectively) are common pathogens of cats and dogs sometimes leading to lethal infections named feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and canine pantropic coronavirus infection. FCoV and CCoV are each subdivided into two serotypes, FCoV-I/II and CCoV-I/II. A phylogenetic relationship is evident between, on one hand, CCoV-I/FCoV-I, and on the other hand, CCoV-II/FCoV-II, suggesting that interspecies transmission can occur. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of coronavirus (CoV)-infected cats according to their contact with dogs and to genetically analyse the CoV strains infecting cats. From 2003 to 2009, we collected 88 faecal samples from healthy cats and 11 ascitic fluids from FIP cats. We investigated the possible contact with dog in the household and collected dogs samples if appropriate. Out of 99 cat samples, 26 were coronavirus positive, with six cats living with at least one dog, thus showing that contact with dogs does not appear as a predisposing factor for cats CoV infections.Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of FCoV strains were conducted using partial N and S sequences. Six divergent strains were identified with the N gene clustering with CCoV-I whereas the 3′ end of S was related to FCoV-I. Further analysis on those six samples was attempted by researching the presence of the ORF3 gene, the latter being peculiar to CCoV-I to date. We succeeded to amplify the ORF3 gene in five samples out of six. Thus, our data strongly suggest the circulation of atypical FCoV strains harbouring the CCoV-I ORF3 gene among cats. Moreover, the ORF3 genes recovered from the feline strains exhibited shared deletions, never described before, suggesting that these deletions could be critical in the adaptation of these strains to the feline host.     

Two epidemics of diarrhoeal disease possibly caused by Plesiomonas shigelloides.

Two epidemics of water-borne diarrhoeal disease involving a total of 1000 persons are reported. In both epidemics, none of the usual bacterial entero-pathogens were recognized and Plesiomonas shigelloides was the only suspect aetiological agent isolated. The ecology of P. shigelloides was investigated in these outbreaks. It was recognized as an inhabitant of fresh surface water and its presence was closely related to warm weather.     

Occurrence of Leptospira spp. soropositive stray dogs in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil

This study aimed to verify Leptospira spp. serovar infections in stray dogs in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Serum samples were collected from 590 stray dogs and tested against 25 Leptospira spp. serovars using the microscopic agglutination test. Prevalence of anti-leptospiral antibodies against one or more serovars was 10.5%. The most frequent serovar was pyrogenes, positive in 26 (18.0%) samples, followed by canicola with 20 (13.8%) and icterohaemorragiae and copenhageni with 18 (12.5%, with antibody titers from 1:100 to 1:3,200). Significant prevalence (10.4 to 11.1%) was also detected against serovars castellonis, butembo, and grippothyphosa.     

Two epidemics of diarrhoeal disease possibly caused by Plesiomonas shigelloides

Two epidemics of water-borne diarrhoeal disease involving a total of 1000 persons are reported. In both epidemics, none of the usual bacterial entero-pathogens were recognized and Plesiomonas shigelloides was the only suspect aetiological agent isolated. The ecology of P. shigelloides was investigated in these outbreaks. It was recognized as an inhabitant of fresh surface water and its presence was closely related to warm weather.     

Listeria species in some aquatic environments in Alexandria,Egypt

Listeria were detected in surface and bottom water, fresh fish and/or shellfish samples collected from the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria (EHA), Lake Mariut and fish farm areas. L. innocua was found in all studied areas, whereas L. monocytogenes was detected only in EHA and Lake Mariut. However L. welshimeri was recovered from only one site in Lake Mariut. In EHA, the incidence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in surface water (11 samples) were 81.8 and 36.3%, in bottom water (11 samples) were 45.5 and 18.2%, in fresh fish (14 samples) were 42.8 and 21.4% and in shellfish (4 samples) were 75 and 50%, respectively. In Lake Mariut, the same incidence were 58.3 and 25% in surface water (12 samples), 41.6 and 16.6% in bottom water (12 samples) and 45 and 27% in fresh fish (11 samples), respectively. In the fish farm Listeria spp. were detected in one of the two surface water samples while bottom water (2 samples) and fresh fish (2 samples) were free from Listeria spp. including L. monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes was prevalent in EHA and Lake Mariut environments where domestic sewage was being discharged, while it was absent in the fish farm with no sewage effect.     

Distribution trends of Salmonella serovars in India (2001-2005)

A total of 3079 samples were received and identified at the National Salmonella and Escherichia Centre (NSEC), Central Research Institute, Kasauli, India during 2001-2005. Out of these, 2098 samples were from humans, 250 from animals, and 726 from meat, vegetables, seafood and the environment. The Salmonella strains isolated were distributed among 35 different Salmonella serovars. The most common serovars from humans were Salmonella Typhi (73%) and Salmonella Paratyphi A (24%) among typhoidal serovars, and Salmonella Worthington (28.2%) and Salmonella Typhimurium (22.5%) among non-typhoidal serovars. The other frequently isolated serovars from different sources were Salmonella Gallinarum, Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Dublin. Analysis of the prevalence of the 10 most common serovars in 18 states indicated that different serovars are distributed in different parts of India. The results from this study may be helpful in formulating preventive strategies to control the spread of infection in the country.     

南京夏秋季海产品中副溶血性弧菌的污染监测及其毒力与耐药性

目的了解南京市夏秋季海产品中副溶血性弧菌(Vibro parahaemolyticus,VP)的污染状况以及分离菌株的毒力与药物敏感性。方法自农贸市场与饭店采取海产品样品,参考国标法(GB/T4789-2008)对样品进行检测,用科玛嘉弧菌显色培养基进行分离培养,对紫红色菌落进行PCR鉴定,对分离菌株进行神奈川试验与药物敏感试验。结果在296份样品中共检出副溶血性弧菌237株,检出率为80.1%,其中冷冻与保鲜海鱼类检出率为96.4%,贝壳类产品检出率为80.8%,鲜活鱼虾类检出率为6.7%,鲜海带类检出率为40.9%,海蜇类检出率为66.7%。VP种属特异性的基因tlh的PCR鉴定与显色培养基的鉴定结果一致;237株VP神奈川试验阳性69株;常用抗生素出现不同程度耐药,完全不耐药的分别为头孢曲松、头孢呋肟、万古霉素、美满霉素、奥复星、麦迪霉素、先锋霉素Ⅴ、丁胺卡那霉素、诺氟沙星、丙氟哌酸、复达欣等。结论南京夏秋季海产品中存在严重的副溶血性弧菌污染,分离菌株含毒力占29.1%,对16种抗生素存在不同程度的耐药。显色培养基用于海产品中副溶血性弧菌的快速检测与PCR检测结果一致。     

The prevalence of Salmonella enteritidis and other Salmonella sp. among Canadian registered commercial chicken broiler flocks

A nation-wide survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella enteritidis and other salmonellas among Canadian commercial broiler flocks. Environmental (litter and/or water) samples from 226 of 294 (76.9%) randomly selected flocks were contaminated with salmonellas. Litter samples were more often contaminated with salmonellas than water samples (47.4 v. 12.3%). Fifty different salmonella serovars were isolated. The most prevalent serovars were S. hadar, S. infantis, and S. schwarzengrund; they were isolated from samples of 98/294 (33.3%), 26/294 (8.8%), and 21/294 (7.1%) flocks, respectively. Feed samples of 39/290 (13.4%) flocks were contaminated with salmonellas. Salmonella enteritidis was isolated from the environmental samples of 9/294 (3.1%) flocks. Salmonella enteritidis phage type (PT) 8 was isolated from seven flocks, and PT 13a from two flocks.     

类志贺邻单胞菌引起的食物中毒调查与分析

[目的]采集感染性腹泻患者肛拭子和粪便样本进行病原学分析,调查细菌性食物中毒的原因。[方法]以生化分型方法和Sensititer Autoreader微生物鉴定分析仪鉴定菌株,用K-B法进行药敏试验。[结果]从57例患者肛拭子和粪便样品中检出16株类志贺邻单胞菌。[结论]这是一起由类志贺邻单胞菌引起的细菌性食物中毒。     

2014-2016年荆门市淡水鱼中致病性弧菌污染状况调查

目的 了解荆门市淡水鱼类在养殖、销售、餐饮环节中霍乱弧菌、副溶血性弧菌、创伤弧菌、溶藻弧菌等4种致病性弧菌的污染状况,为更好预防和控制食源性疾病提供科学依据。方法 2014-2016年夏季在荆门市淡水鱼养殖场、销售市场、宾馆饭店采集淡水鱼343份、养殖水体42份、销售及餐饮存养水体36份,参照《国家食品污染和有害因素风险工作手册》进行4种致病性弧菌的检测。结果 荆门市淡水鱼中4种致病性弧菌检出率为62.39%(214/343),淡水鱼养殖水体检出率为30.95%(13/42),销售及餐饮水体检出率为22.22%(8/36)。在淡水鱼所检出的致病性弧菌中,副溶血性弧菌检出率最高,为46.36%(159/343);其次为溶藻弧菌检出率为11.37%(39/343);霍乱弧菌检出率为7.29%(25/343);创伤弧菌检出率为7.00%(24/343)。淡水鱼和相应水体中检出的38株霍乱弧菌中36株为非O1/0139群霍乱弧菌,2株为O139群霍乱弧菌。结论 荆门市淡水鱼中4种致病性弧菌污染较为普遍,食品安全监管部门应加强对淡水鱼餐饮环节、养殖及销售过程的监管力度,减少致病性弧菌所引起疾病的发生。     

Cross-sectional associations between intensity of animal and human infection with Schistosoma japonicum in Western Samar province, Philippines

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between the intensity of animal infection with Schistosoma japonicum and human infection in Western Samar province, the Philippines. METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study of 1425 households in 50 villages. Stool samples were collected on each of 1-3 days from 5623 humans, 1275 cats, 1189 dogs, 1899 pigs, 663 rats and 873 water buffalo. Intensity of infection with S. japonicum was measured by the number of eggs per gram (EPG). Egg counts were done using the Kato-Katz method. We used a Bayesian hierarchical cumulative logit model, with adjustments for age, sex, occupation and measurement error. FINDINGS: The adjusted proportions of humans lightly infected (classified as 1-100 EPG) was 17.7% (95% Bayesian credible interval = 15.3-20.2%); the proportion classified as at least moderately infected (>100 EPG) was 3.2% (2.2-4.6%). The crude parasitological results for animals indicated that 37 cats (2.9%), 228 dogs (19.2%), 39 pigs (2.1%), 199 rats (30.0%) and 28 water buffalo (3.2%) were infected. In univariate analyses the odds ratios corresponding to a unit increase in the mean number of EPG at the village-level in dogs was 1.05 (1.01-1.09), in cats 1.35 (1.02-1.78), in pigs 1.16 (0.24- 5.18) and in rats 1.00 (1.00-1.01). Mean EPG values in cats, dogs, pigs and rats were correlated with one another. This confounding made interpreting the odds ratios difficult, but the odds ratios for dogs and cats were more consistent. CONCLUSION: S. japonicum is endemic in areas of the Philippines despite implementation of control programmes. This may be due to the association of infections in dogs and cats with human infections. Infection control in dogs and cats is challenging, and there is a need to develop new methods to control transmission across all species.