Draft Genome Sequences of Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus gallinarum, and Lactococcus lactis Strains Isolated from a Mastitis-Infected Camel in Isiolo County, Kenya

Abstract

We report the draft genome sequences and annotation of Enterococcus faecium , Enterococcus gallinarum , and Lactococcus lactis isolates that were recovered from a mastitis-infected camel in Isiolo County, Kenya. Collectively, these data provide an invaluable repository for data mining to support the development of a potential multicomponent mastitis subunit vaccine.

Design of a multi-epitope camel mastitis vaccine candidate using a reverse vaccinology approach

“…In this study, we have designed and computationally evaluated a novel, multi-epitope vaccine candidate for camel mastitis comprised of 9 CTL MHC-1 binding epitopes and 1 interferon-γ inducing HTL epitope obtained from selected antigenic protein sequences of local isolates of S. agalactiae and S. aureus (Murungi et al, 2022; Maichomo et al, 2023), the predominant camel mastitis causing bacteria (Younan et al, 2001; Seligsohn et al, 2021a; Seligsohn et al, 2021b). In silico simulations revealed the vaccine construct as capable of strongly stimulating the host innate and adaptive immune responses as evidenced by the elevated synthesis of IgM, IgG, cytokines, macrophages, dendritic cells and natural killer cells.…”

“…have been isolated from camel udders (Zeryehun and Abera, 2017), the highly infective Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus ) is the main mastitis causing bacteria. Our recent studies (Ochieng et al, 2021; Murungi et al, 2022; Maichomo et al, 2023) have identified several bacterial strains that potentially cause camel mastitis in Kenya. Given the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for the treatment of mastitis against the backdrop of global antimicrobial resistance (Naranjo-Lucena and Slowey, 2023), development of effective vaccines for camel mastitis is a pressing critical need.…”

The Emergence and Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterococcus and Its Implications for One-health Approaches in Africa

“…This is especially important in current times when antimicrobial resistance is a global issue and strategies are being formulated to address this challenge. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of several species of enterococcus isolated from mastitic milk from camels in Kenya has been carried out including the genomes of E. faecalis strain 1351 [7], E. faecium and E. gallinarum [6], E raffinosus CX012922 isolated from patient's fecal samples [85] and E. casseliflavus strain UFMG-H8 [86] isolated from the urine of healthy bovine heifers. Many more studies have carried out WGS on many species of enterococcus.…”

“…In Africa, various enterococcus species have been identified, including E. casseliflavus, E. faecalis, E. durans, E. gallinarum, E. thailandicus, E. devriesei, E. faecium, E. hirae, and E. mundtii [6][7][8][9]. Since enterococci are part of the microbiota of many raw and non-sterilized food products, presence does not necessarily imply direct fecal contamination.…”

“…They are opportunistic agents of clinical importance causing nosocomial infections in humans [13,14]. From animal-based foods including meat, milk, and their derivatives, they appear to be the most often isolated enterococcus species [6,7,15]. Due to their enteric nature, they contaminate meat during slaughter.…”