Detection, identification and typing methods for Cronobacter spp. - a review

Rapid and reliable identification of strains of the genus Cronobacter and its differentiation from phenotypically similar, apathogenic Enterobacter turicensis, Enterobacter helveticus and Enterobacter pulveris is important for surveillance, prevention and control of this food-borne pathogen. Moreover, for Cronobacter a species differentiation is relevant for epidemiological studies. This review summarizes methods for detection, identification and typing of Cronobacter spp

Die Behandlung von subchondralen zystoiden Defekten beim Pferd mit Benzopyron: eine retrospektive Analyse

Ausgehend von der Hypothese, dass die Schmerzen bei subchondralen Knochenzysten durch einen erhöhten intraossären Druck und eine Stoffwechselstörung im subchondralen Knochen bedingt sein könnten, wurde therapeutisch erstmals ein Medikament mit dem Wirkstoff Benzopyron (4-Hydroxy-1,2-Benzopyron) bei 19 Pferden mit gutem Erfolg eingesetzt. Für die Zeitspanne zwischen dem Auftreten der Lahmheit und dem Beginn der Behandlung konnte ein signifikanter Einfluss auf die Prognose gezeigt werden (p=0,023). Der Lahmheitsgrad (p=0,120), die Grösse der Zyste (p=0,163) und ds Vorhandensein von Arthrose im betroffenen Gelenk zum Zeitpunkt des Therapiebeginns (p=0,137) waren keine signifikanten Risikofaktoren für den Ausgang der Therapie. Die Daten suggerieren aber einen Trend, dass eine hochgradige Lahmheit, langbestehende Defekte und Arthrose den Therapieerfolg negativ beeinflussen

Identification of Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter spp. in raw milk, milk concentrate and milk powder: prevalence and genotyping

Cronobacter spp. (former Enterobacter sakazakii) are occasional contaminants of powdered infant formula (PIF) and have been implicated in rare cases of neonatal infections. Surveys on the prevalence of these organisms and/or contamination routes during the processing of the infant formula are of importance to the manufacturers in order to reduce the level of contamination of these products. Increasing customer awareness on possible contamination of other milk powder based products intended for consumption by (older) infants posed the question about the presence of Enterobacteriaceae and especially Cronobacter spp. in products other than PIF e. g. milk concentrate (intermediate) and milk powder, both added to a variety of infant foods. It was the aim of this study to create data on the prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae and possible epidemiologic correlation of Cronobacter spp. in raw milk, milk concentrate and milk powder obtained from a Swiss milk powder production facility (2 production sites). A total of 100 raw milk samples, 91 milk concentrate samples and 172 milk powder samples were collected and tested for the presence of Enterobacteriaceae including Cronobacter spp. by cultural means. Subsets of isolates from each sample category were selected for further molecular identification and subtyping analysis. A variety of members of the Enterobacteriaceae family were observed in all types of samples, whereas Cronobacter spp. was isolated from milk powder only. Subtyping revealed a relatively high degree of heterogeneity among Cronobacter spp. isolates from both production sites suggesting continuous entry and dissemination of organisms from the production environment into the products

PFGE-typing of Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Leclercia adecarboxylata isolates from an infant formula processing plant

Für Säuglingsanfangsnahrung in Pulverform (PIF) ist der Parameter Enterobacteriaceae als Prozesshygienekriterium (nicht nachweisbar in 100 g) definiert. Dennoch können aber gelegentlich Enterobacteriaceae in solchen Produkten nachgewiesen werden. Eine kürzlich publizierte Studie konzentrierte sich auf das Vorkommen von Cronobacter spp., einen pathogenen Vertreter aus der Familie der Enterobacteriaceae, um mögliche Kontaminationswege zu untersuchen. Das Ziel der aktuellen Studie war es, andere häufig gefundene Spezies aus der Familie der Enterobacteriaceae aus Rohstoffen, dem Produktionsumfeld und von Endprodukten eines PIF Verarbeitungsbetriebes mittels PFGE zu genotypisieren, um mögliche Kontaminationswege aufzuzeigen und die Eignung dieser Spezies für betriebsepidemiologische Studien zu evaluieren. Insgesamt wurden 216 Isolate von drei verschiedenen Spezies (Enterobacter (E.) cloacae, Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae und Leclercia (L.) adecarboxylata) in die Untersuchung miteinbezogen. Der Restriktionsverdau mittes XbaI ergab für alle drei Spezies aussagekräftige PFGE Muster. Endproduktkontaminationen konnten zum einen auf hitzeempfindliche Zusatzstoffe, aber vor allem auch auf das Produktionsumfeld zurückgeführt werden. Dabei hat sich vor allem die Spezies E. cloacae, die in den gleichen Nischen wie Cronobacter spp. gefunden werden kann, als ein guter Parameter für betriebsepidemiologische Untersuchungen erwiesen. Bestimmte Genotypen von E. cloacae scheinen fähig, im Produktionsumfeld zu persistieren, was möglicherweise auf besondere Eigenschaften, wie z. B. verstärkte Austrocknungstoleranz zurückzuführen ist

Identification of Enterobacteriaceae isolates from raw ingredients, environmental samples and products of an infant formula processing plant

Over the past few years the group of Enterobacteriaceae has considerably gained in importance for food industries, especially for infant formula processing plants. Up to now, only a few studies have focused on the diversity of this group in powdered infant formula and related products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify Enterobacteriaceae isolates from a previous study from different samples of an infant formula processing plant. A total of 470 isolates from raw ingredients (n = 117), environmental samples (n = 166) and finished products (n = 187) were further identified by biochemical tests as well as by rpoB sequencing. The most common species was Enterobacter cloacae (n = 161), followed by Pantoea spp. (n = 51) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 39). In total, 65 isolates could not be identified. Using the partial rpoB gene sequence data as a similarity matrix, 22 different clusters could be formed within these 65 isolates. The fact that some isolates from the same rpoB cluster originate from different sample types might indicate that they are widely common within such a production environment and hence of practical relevance. These isolates which form possibly novel genus/species will be further investigated

Evaluation of three commercially available real-time PCR based systems for detection of Cronobacter species

In the last few years, various PCR based methods have been developed that enable detection of Cronobacter spp. to the genus and species level. Moreover, several real-time PCR based systems for detection of Cronobacter spp. are available, however, comparative evaluation studies are not available. The current study represents a comparative evaluation of three commercial diagnostic systems, namely the BAX® System PCR Assay Enterobacter sakazakii (DuPont, Qualicon, Wilmington, USA), the Assurance GDS™ Enterobacter sakazakii (BioControl, Bellvue, USA) and the foodproof® Enterobacter sakazakii Detection Kit (Biotecon Diagnostics, Potsdam, Germany) for the rapid identification of Cronobacter spp. Twenty-one target and non-target strains were included in the study and results were compared for specificity and convenience in performance. A specificity of 100% was observed for two of the three real time PCR systems tested, namely the Assurance GDS™ Enterobacter sakazakii and the foodproof® Enterobacter sakazakii Detection Kit for pure cultures as well as artificially contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) samples. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved