Salmonella enterica Heidelberg is a serovar isolated from poultry-producing regions around the World. In Brazil, S. Heidelberg has been frequently detected in poultry flocks, slaughterhouses and chicken. The goal of the present study was to assess the population structure, recent temporal evolution and some important genetic characteristics of S. Heidelberg isolated from Brazilian poultry farms. Phylogenetic analysis of 68 S . Heidelberg genomes sequenced here and additional whole-genomes data from NCBI demonstrated that all isolates from the Brazilian poultry production chain clustered into a monophyletic group, here called S. Heidelberg Brazilian poultry lineage (SH-BPL). Bayesian analysis defined the time of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) as 2004 and the overall population size (N e ) constant until 2008, when a ∼10-fold N e increase was observed until circa 2013. SH-BPL presented at least two plasmids with replicons ColpVC ( n =68; 100%), IncX1 ( n =66; 97%), IncA/C2 ( n =65; 95.5%), ColRNAI ( n =43; 63.2%), IncI1 ( n =32; 47%), ColMG828, Col156, IncHI2A, IncHI2, IncQ1, IncX4, IncY and TrfA (each with n<4; <4% each). Antibiotic resistance genes were found, with high frequencies of fosA7 ( n =68; 100%), mdf A ( n =68; 100%), tet(34) ( n =68; 100%), sul2 ( n =64; 94.1%), blaCMY-2 ( n =56; 82.3%) and an overall multi-drug resistance (MDR) profile. Ten pathogenicity islands (SPI1-5, SPI9 and SPI11-14) and 139 virulence genes were also detected. SH-BPL profile was like other previous S. Heidelberg isolates from poultry around the world in the 1990s. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the recent introduction (2004) and high level of dissemination of an MDR S. Heidelberg lineage in Brazilian poultry operations. IMPORTANCE S. Heidelberg is the most frequent serovar in several broiler farms from the main Brazilian poultry-producing regions. So avian-source foods (mainly chicken carcasses) commercialized in the country and exported to other continents are contaminated with this foodborne pathogen, generating several national and international economic losses. In addition, isolates of this serovar are usually resistant to antibiotics and can cause human invasive and septicemic infection, representing a public health concern. This study demonstrates the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to obtain epidemiological information of one S. Heidelberg lineage highly spread among Brazilian poultry farms. This information will help to define biosecurity measures to control this important Salmonella serovar in Brazilian and worldwide poultry operations.
Salmonella infects poultry, and it is also a human foodborne pathogen. This bacterial genus is classified into several serovars/lineages, some of them showing high antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The ease of Salmonella transmission in farms, slaughterhouses, and eggs industries has made controlling it a real challenge in the poultry-production chains. This review describes the emergence, dissemination, and AMR of the main Salmonella serovars and lineages detected in Brazilian poultry. It is reported that few serovars emerged and have been more widely disseminated in breeders, broilers, and layers in the last 70 years. Salmonella Gallinarum was the first to spread on the farms, remaining as a concerning poultry pathogen. Salmonella Typhimurium and Enteritidis were also largely detected in poultry and foods (eggs, chicken, turkey), being associated with several human foodborne outbreaks. Salmonella Heidelberg and Minnesota have been more widely spread in recent years, resulting in frequent chicken/turkey meat contamination. A few more serovars (Infantis, Newport, Hadar, Senftenberg, Schwarzengrund, and Mbandaka, among others) were also detected, but less frequently and usually in specific poultry-production regions. AMR has been identified in most isolates, highlighting multi-drug resistance in specific poultry lineages from the serovars Typhimurium, Heidelberg, and Minnesota. Epidemiological studies are necessary to trace and control this pathogen in Brazilian commercial poultry production chains.
Salmonella serotype Minnesota has been increasingly detected in Brazilian poultry farms and food products (chicken meat, eggs) in recent years. In addition, S. Minnesota isolates from poultry are generally resistant to several antibiotics and persistent in farm environments. The present study aimed to assess phylogenomic diversity of S. Minnesota isolates from the poultry production chain in Brazil. In total, 107 worldwide S. Minnesota whole genomes (including 12 from Brazil) were analyzed using a comparative approach. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated two clades more related to poultry production in Brazil: S. Minnesota poultry lineages I and II (SM-PLI and SM-PLII). Phylodynamic analysis demonstrated that SM-PLI had a common ancestor in 1915, while SM–PLII originated circa 1971. SM-PLII encompassed a higher number of isolates and presented a recent increase in effective population size (mainly from 2009 to 2012). Plasmids IncA/C2 and ColRNA, antimicrobial resistance genes (aph(3′)-Ia, blaCMY-2, qnrB19, sul2, and tet(A)) and mainly a virulence genetic cluster (including the yersiniabactin operon) were detected in isolates from SM-PLI and/or SM-PLII. This study demonstrates the dissemination of two distinct S. Minnesota lineages with high resistance to antibiotics and important virulence genetic clusters in Brazilian poultry farms.
Colonial cheese is a culturally and economically important product from the south of Brazil. As most of its production is artisanal, the technology employed is mostly knowledge passed down from one generation to the next according to family tradition and may be produced with raw or pasteurized milk. It is noted for its spicy flavour and variable composition and is often classified as a medium to high-moisture cheese. This intrinsic feature increases the risk of microbial spoilage and food poisoning. One of the main bio-indicators of contamination in colonial cheese is coagulase positive Staphylococcus. The purpose of this study was thephenotypic identification of Staphylococcus species isolated from the products and surfaces in the main production stages of colonial cheese. Staphylococcus sp. isolates from the food and the production environment were obtained from two colonial cheese-production agro-industries in Rio Grande do Sul. Samples of fresh milk, curd, ripening and final colonial cheese were collected. In addition, surface sampling was performed on the coagulation tanks, production tables, molds, cheese ripening shelves and on the hands of the handlers. Staphylococcus sp. isolates in the cheese and the production environments tested in this study were identified by phenotypic techniques through biochemical and MALDI-TOF MS analyses. These isolates were subjected to gene expression analysis for enterotoxins A, B, C, D, and E. All isolates (72) were identified as Staphylococcus sp., and 43% of the total isolates tested were coagulase positive. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant species in the raw milk and production tanks. Regarding coagulase negative staphylococci isolates, S. warneri and S. sciuri were most abundant. The sea and seb genes were detected in 4% of the Staphylococcus isolates. The results indicate eleven different species of Staphylococcus present in the colonial cheese production environments studied. The predominant presence of S. aureus in the different samples of milk, curd, ripened cheese, ready-to-eat cheese and hands of the handlers indicates that there are issues with the selection of milk-producing animals, pasteurization process and/or hygiene control of handlers. The sea and seb genes were detected in samples of raw milk and colonial cheese. No enterotoxin genes were detected in coagulase negative staphylococci. KEY WORDS: Enterotoxins; polymerase chain reaction; time-offlight mass spectrometry; coagulase negative staphylococci; phenotypic identification; genotypic analysis; colonial cheese.
Bovine alphaherpesviruses 1 and 5 (BoHV-1/5) are main pathogens of respiratory, reproductive and neurological diseases in cattle. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of neutralizing antibodies against BoHV-1/5 in serum samples and to detect viral DNA in semen of bulls from beef cattle farms located in RS. A total of 372 serum and semen sample from bulls were collected in eighteen farms. Serum samples were submitted to virus neutralization (VN) assay, while semen samples were used to detect BoHV-1 and BoHV-5 DNA by PCR. VN results showed that BoHV-1/5 antibodies were detected in bulls of 66.7% (12/18) of the farms, 295 (79.5%) BoHV positive bulls, 287 for BoHV-1 and 234 for BoHV-; at 43 vaccinated bulls 72.1% (31/43) showing serology negative. BoHV-1/5 DNA was detected in the semen of three bulls; one of the them presenting BoHV-1, one out three presenting BoHV-5 and one BoHV-1/5.co-infection All BoHV DNA positive samples came from animals presenting posthitis and other genital lesions at sampling. Results showed a high seroprevalence of BoHV-1/5 antibodies in bulls as well as strong evidence that these viruses are actively circulating in the cattle farms. A remarkable finding is that in the presence of clinically evident lesions in the genital tract, both BoHV-1 and 5 may found in semen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.