Molecular epidemiology of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from horses in Ireland

Clinical isolates (n = 63) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained from various sites in 63 horses were compared using ERIC2 RAPD PCR to determine their genetic relatedness. Resulting banding patterns (n = 24 genotypes) showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity amongst all isolates examined, indicating a relative non-clonal relationship between isolates from these patients, employing this genotyping technique. This study characterised 63 clinical isolates into 24 distinct genotypes, with the largest cluster (genotype E) accounting for 10/63 (15.9%) of the isolates. ERIC2 RAPD PCR proved to be a highly discriminatory molecular typing tool of P. aeruginosa in isolates recovered from horses. With the adoption of several controls to aid reproducibility, this technique may be useful as an alternative to PFGE, particularly in epidemiological investigations of outbreaks where speed may be a significant parameter. This is the first report of clonal heterogeneity amongst P. aeruginosa from horses and demonstrated that ERIC RAPD PCR is a rapid method for the examination of this species in horses, which may be useful in outbreak analysis

Treatment of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)

Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) are a specialized group of E. coli that can cause severe colonic disease and renal failure. Their pathogenicity derives from virulence factors that enable the bacteria to colonize the colon and deliver extremely powerful toxins known as verotoxins (VT) or Shiga toxins (Stx) to the systemic circulation. The recent devastating E. coli O104:H4 epidemic in Europe has shown how helpless medical professionals are in terms of offering effective therapies. By examining the sources and distribution of these bacteria, and how they cause disease, we will be in a better position to prevent and treat the inevitable future cases of sporadic disease and victims of common source outbreaks. Due to the complexity of pathogenesis, it is likely a multitargeted approach is warranted. Developments in terms of these treatments are discussed

Perspectives in visual imaging for marine biology and ecology: from acquisition to understanding

Durden J, Schoening T, Althaus F, et al. Perspectives in Visual Imaging for Marine Biology and Ecology: From Acquisition to Understanding. In: Hughes RN, Hughes DJ, Smith IP, Dale AC, eds. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. 54. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2016: 1-72

Sorbitol-fermenting Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157: indications for an animal reservoir

This study investigates a sorbitol-fermenting enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (SF EHEC) O157 infection in a farmer’s family in the Austrian province of Salzburg. The investigation commenced after a 10-month-old boy was admitted to hospital with the clinical diagnosis of a haemolytic–uraemic syndrome (HUS) and his stool specimen grew SF EHEC O157:H−. In a subsequent environmental survey, a stool specimen of the 2-year-old brother and faecal samples of two cattle from the family’s farm were also found to be positive for SF EHEC O157:H−. All four isolates had indistinguishable phenotypic and molecular characteristics and were identical to the first strain detected in Bavaria in 1988. Despite identical isolates being demonstrated in Bavaria after 1988, and until this report, increased surveillance in neighbouring Austria had not found this organism. We propose that the strain may have recently spread from Bavaria to Austria. Although SF EHEC O157:H− strains are still rare, they may represent a considerable health threat as they can spread from farm animals to humans and between humans

Molecular characterization of L. monocytogenes and the significance for food hygiene

Research on the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is a key issue both for the clinical and the food microbiologist owing to the unique pathway of infection and the exposure of humans via contaminanted foods. Although, in Austria, the incidence of listeriosis is about 870-fold lower than the incidence for Salmonella infection, the food law manages both foodborne pathogens with a comparable stringency. The current risk management is based on the assumption that environmental L. monocytogenes isolates, from which the pool of "foodborne" isolates is recruited, are of similar pathogenicity compared to clinical and outbreak isolates. This verdict became doubted in the recent years. Characterization of L. monocytogenes by virulence gene sequencing, virulence studies in vivo and in vitro and by molecular typing was considerably stimulating the discussion on virulence variability in L. monocytogenes. This article provides insights in the value of epidemiological follow-up studies by presenting a typing study on 15 cases of listeriosis observed in a district hospital in Turkey. Furthermore results from typing L. monocytogenes either by virulence gene sequencing, mismatch amplification mutation assay or by pulsed field gel electrophoresis are discussed. The close interaction of molecular microbiology with food microbiology both in applied and basic science is currently creating a new discipline of molecular food microbiology. We are convinced that veterinary medicine will contribute to this exiting development in a fruitful way