J Med Microbiol Track the topics, authors and articles important to you
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Falcão, J. P.
Right arrow Articles by Brocchi, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Falcão, J. P.
Right arrow Articles by Brocchi, M.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Falcão, J. P.
Right arrow Articles by Brocchi, M.
J Med Microbiol 55 (2006), 1539-1548; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.46733-0
© 2006 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644

Molecular typing and virulence markers of Yersinia enterocolitica strains from human, animal and food origins isolated between 1968 and 2000 in Brazil

Juliana P. Falcão1,2, Deise P. Falcão3, André Pitondo-Silva2, Ana Carolina Malaspina3 and Marcelo Brocchi2,4

1 Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto–USP, Av. do Café, s/no- Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil

2 Departamento de Biologia Celular, Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto–USP, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil

3 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas-UNESP, Rodovia Araraquara-Jaú Km1, Araraquara, SP, 14801-902, Brazil

4 Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia-UNICAMP, Caixa Postal: 6109, Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil

Correspondence
Juliana P. Falcão
jufalcao{at}fcfrp.usp.br

Received 22 May 2006
Accepted 21 July 2006

Molecular typing and virulence markers were used to evaluate the genetic profiles and virulence potential of 106 Yersinia enterocolitica strains. Of these strains, 71 were bio-serotype 4/O : 3, isolated from human and animal clinical material, and 35 were of biotype 1A or 2 and of diverse serotypes, isolated from food in Brazil between 1968 and 2000. Drug resistance was also investigated. All the strains were resistant to three or more drugs. The isolates showed a virulence-related phenotype in the aesculin, pyrazinamidase and salicin tests, except for the food isolates, only two of which were positive for these tests. For the other phenotypic virulence determinants (autoagglutination, Ca++ dependence and Congo red absorption), the strains showed a diverse behaviour. The inv, ail and ystA genes were detected in all human and animal strains, while all the food isolates were positive for inv, and 3 % of them positive for ail and ystA. The presence of virF was variable in the three groups of strains. The strains were better discriminated by PFGE than by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR). A higher genomic similarity was observed among the 4/O : 3 strains, isolated from human and animal isolates, than among the food strains, with the exception of two food strains possessing the virulence genes and grouped close to the 4/O : 3 strains by ERIC-PCR. Unusually, the results revealed the virulence potential of a bio-serotype 1A/O : 10 strain, suggesting that food contaminated with Y. enterocolitica biotype 1A may cause infection. This also suggests that ERIC-PCR may be used as a tool to reveal clues about the virulence potential of Y. enterocolitica strains. Furthermore, the results also support the hypothesis that animals may act as reservoirs of Y. enterocolitica for human infections in Brazil, an epidemiological aspect that has not been investigated in this country, confirming data from other parts of the world.

Abbreviations: AMK, amikacin; AMP, ampicillin; CEF, cephalothin; CFZ, cephazolin; EGT, ERIC genomic type; ERIC-PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR; FOX, cefoxitin; PGT, pulsed-field genomic type.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
INT J SYST EVOL MICROBIOL J MED MICROBIOL MICROBIOLOGY J GEN VIROL ALL SGM JOURNALS
Copyright © 2006 Society for General Microbiology.