Molecular epidemiology of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolated from horses in California.
Abstract: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar Equi is an important pathogen of horses. It is increasing in frequency in the United States, and is responsible for various clinical forms of infection, including external abscesses, internal abscesses of the abdominal or thoracic cavities, and ulcerative lymphangitis. The host/pathogen factors dictating the form or severity of infection are currently unknown. Our recent investigations have shown that genotyping C. pseudotuberculosis isolates using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR is useful for understanding the evolutionary genetics of the species as well for molecular epidemiology studies. The aims of the present study were to assess (i) the genetic diversity of C. pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from horses in California, United States and (ii) the epidemiologic relationships among isolates. One hundred and seven C. pseudotuberculosis biovar Equi isolates from ninety-five horses, and two C. pseudotuberculosis biovar Ovis strains, C. pseudotuberculosis ATCC 19410 type strain and C. pseudotuberculosis 1002 vaccine strain, were fingerprinted using the ERIC 1+2-PCR. C. pseudotuberculosis isolated from horses showed a high genetic diversity, clustering in twenty-seven genotypes with a diversity index of 0.91. Minimal spanning tree showed four major clonal complexes with a pattern of temporal clustering. Strains isolated from the same horse showed identical ERIC 1+2-PCR genotype, with the exception of two strains isolated from the same animal that showed distinct genotypes, suggesting a co-infection. We found no strong genetic signals related to clinical form (including internal versus external infections). However, temporal clustering of genotypes was observed.
Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2016-12-13 PubMed ID: 27979735DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.12.011Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article discusses a study on the molecular classification and distribution of the bacteria, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, in horses in California. The study also investigates the correlation between the bacteria’s genotypes and the severity or form of infection it causes.
Genetic Diversity Assessment
- The research is principally aimed at determining the genetic diversity of C. pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from horses in California, USA.
- To accomplish this, 107 C. pseudotuberculosis biovar Equi isolates from 95 horses, as well as two C. pseudotuberculosis biovar Ovis strains, were fingerprinted using ERIC 1+2-PCR. This technique is particularly effective in understanding the evolutionary genetics of a species and for epidemiological studies.
- The researchers found a high genetic diversity among the C. pseudotuberculosis strains, clustering into 27 distinct genotypes, a statistic represented by a diversity index of 0.91. This suggests a wide genetic variability in the pathogen population.
Epidemiological Relationships
- The second aim of the study seeks to understand the epidemiological relationships among the bacterial isolates.
- A minimal spanning tree demonstrated the presence of four major clonal complexes, indicating a pattern of temporal clustering.
- In cases where multiple strains were isolated from the same horse, they generally exhibited an identical ERIC 1+2-PCR genotype, indicating the same source. However, two strains from a single horse had unique genotypes, implying a co-infection.
Analysing Clinical Relationships
- The researchers sought to explore whether certain genotypes of the bacteria correlated with specific clinical symptoms or severity of infection, including the difference between internal versus external infections.
- Unfortunately, the study failed to identify strong genetic signals relating to clinical manifestations. The researchers could not establish a link between the genotype of C. pseudotuberculosis and the form or severity of the infection it causes in horses.
- Interestingly, the study demonstrated a temporal clustering of genotypes, implying that certain genotypes may prevail during particular periods.
This study provides valuable insights into the genetic diversity and epidemiology of C. pseudotuberculosis in horses in California and can support future research and disease control measures.
Cite This Article
APA
Haas DJ, Dorneles EM, Spier SJ, Carroll SP, Edman J, Azevedo VA, Heinemann MB, Lage AP.
(2016).
Molecular epidemiology of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolated from horses in California.
Infect Genet Evol, 49, 186-194.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2016.12.011 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: alage@vet.ufmg.br.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bacterial Typing Techniques
- California / epidemiology
- Cluster Analysis
- Corynebacterium Infections / epidemiology
- Corynebacterium Infections / microbiology
- Corynebacterium Infections / pathology
- Corynebacterium Infections / veterinary
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis / classification
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis / genetics
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis / isolation & purification
- DNA Fingerprinting
- DNA, Bacterial / genetics
- DNA, Intergenic / genetics
- Genetic Variation
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses / microbiology
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Phylogeny
- Severity of Illness Index
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Keestra-Gounder AM, Nagao PE. Inflammasome activation by Gram-positive bacteria: Mechanisms of activation and regulation. Front Immunol 2023;14:1075834.
- Stanisic D, Fregonesi NL, Barros CHN, Pontes JGM, Fulaz S, Menezes UJ, Nicoleti JL, Castro TLP, Seyffert N, Azevedo V, Durán N, Portela RW, Tasic L. NMR insights on nano silver post-surgical treatment of superficial caseous lymphadenitis in small ruminants. RSC Adv 2018 Dec 4;8(71):40778-40786.
- Marques da Silva W, Seyffert N, Silva A, Azevedo V. A journey through the Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis proteome promotes insights into its functional genome. PeerJ 2021;9:e12456.
- Schlicher J, Schmitt S, Stevens MJA, Stephan R, Ghielmetti G. Molecular Characterization of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Isolated over a 15-Year Period in Switzerland. Vet Sci 2021 Jul 30;8(8).
- de Souza Lima E, de Oliveira Filho RB, Malta KC, Pires IC, Rosa DS, Chideroli RT, Aburjaile FF, de Jesus Sousa T, Ramos RTJ, Góes-Neto A, de Castro Soares S, Brenig B, de Carvalho Azevedo VA, da Costa MM, de Carvalho Fernandes AC. First case report of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi in semiarid region of Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2025 Sep;56(3):2251-2256.
- Di Donato A, Gambi L, Ravaioli V, Perulli S, Cirasella L, Rossini R, Luppi A, Tosi G, Fiorentini L. First Report of Caseous Lymphadenitis by Corynebacterium pseudotubercolosis and Pulmonary Verminosis in a Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) in Italy. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 8;14(4).
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