Toward an international standard for PCR-based detection of food-borne thermotolerant Campylobacters: assay development and analytical validation. (1/14)

As part of a European research project (FOOD-PCR), we developed a standardized and robust PCR detection assay specific for the three most frequently reported food-borne pathogenic Campylobacter species, C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari. Fifteen published and unpublished PCR primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene were tested in all possible pairwise combinations, as well as two published primers targeting the 23S rRNA gene. A panel of 150 strains including target and nontarget strains was used in an in-house validation. Only one primer pair, OT1559 plus 18-1, was found to be selective. The inclusivity and exclusivity were 100 and 97%, respectively. In an attempt to find a thermostable DNA polymerase more resistant than Taq to PCR inhibitors present in chicken samples, three DNA polymerases were evaluated. The DNA polymerase Tth was not inhibited at a concentration of 2% (vol/vol) chicken carcass rinse, unlike both Taq DNA polymerase and DyNAzyme. Based on these results, Tth was selected as the most suitable enzyme for the assay. The standardized PCR test described shows potential for use in large-scale screening programs for food-borne Campylobacter species under the assay conditions specified.  (+info)

Toward an international standard for PCR-based detection of food-borne thermotolerant Campylobacters: validation in a multicenter collaborative trial. (2/14)

As part of a European research project, the performance of a PCR assay to detect food-borne thermotolerant campylobacters (Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari) was evaluated through an international collaborative trial involving 12 participating laboratories. DNA from 10 target and 8 nontarget strains was tested, and the results were reported as the presence of a positive signal after gel electrophoresis. The overall inclusivity (sensitivity) was 93.7%, and the exclusivity (specificity) was 100%. The results indicate that the assay can become an international standard and can be confidently applied in microbiological laboratories.  (+info)

Identification of distinct Campylobacter lari genogroups by amplified fragment length polymorphism and protein electrophoretic profiles. (3/14)

Campylobacter lari is a phenotypically and genotypically diverse species that comprises the classical nalidixic acid-resistant thermophilic campylobacters (NARTC) and the biochemical C. lari variants, including the urease-positive campylobacters (UPTC), the nalidixic acid-susceptible campylobacters (NASC), and the urease-producing nalidixic acid-susceptible campylobacters. To study the taxonomic and epidemiological relationships among strains of the C. lari variants, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) profiling and whole-cell protein profile analysis were performed with 55 C. lari strains. Great genetic heterogeneity in AFLP and protein profiles was observed. Numerical analysis of AFLP profiles and of partial protein profiles allowed discrimination of four distinct genogroups. AFLP cluster I included nearly homogeneous patterns for C. lari NARTC strains (genogroup I). UPTC strains together with non-urease-producing NASC strains produced highly diverse patterns and were placed in genogroup II. The genogroup III strains had the NASC phenotype and produced more homogeneous patterns. Finally, genogroup IV strains had the classical NARTC phenotype and produced AFLP patterns that were very distinct from those of other genogroups. One UPTC strain had aberrant patterns and clustered separately, which may indicate that there is an additional genogroup. Preliminary DNA-DNA hybridization experiments suggested that genogroups I and III represent a single genomic species and that genogroup IV represents a distinct species. The detection of moderate levels of DNA-DNA hybridization between a genogroup II reference strain and genogroup I and III reference strains highlights the need for further DNA-DNA hybridization experiments to clarify the taxonomic status of the former group. No correlation of genogroups with different sources of strains was identified. These data show that UPTC strains are genetically diverse and distinct from NARTC strains. In addition, they indicate that the classical NARTC phenotype encompasses at least two genogroups.  (+info)

Use of the omp50 gene for identification of Campylobacter species by PCR. (4/14)

We studied the prevalence of the omp50 gene and the Omp50 protein in Campylobacter strains. Immunodetection assays and DNA-DNA hybridizations showed that most C. coli strains tested were negative and most C. jejuni and C. lari strains tested were positive. A PCR assay was developed, using the omp50 gene as a species-specific target. We propose a combination of a hippurate test and an omp50 assay to perform identification of Campylobacter species.  (+info)

Differentiation of Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari, and Campylobacter upsaliensis by a multiplex PCR developed from the nucleotide sequence of the lipid A gene lpxA. (5/14)

We describe a multiplex PCR assay to identify and discriminate between isolates of Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari, and Campylobacter upsaliensis. The C. jejuni isolate F38011 lpxA gene, encoding a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase, was identified by sequence analysis of an expression plasmid that restored wild-type lipopolysaccharide levels in Escherichia coli strain SM105 [lpxA(Ts)]. With oligonucleotide primers developed to the C. jejuni lpxA gene, nearly full-length lpxA amplicons were amplified from an additional 11 isolates of C. jejuni, 20 isolates of C. coli, 16 isolates of C. lari, and five isolates of C. upsaliensis. The nucleotide sequence of each amplicon was determined, and sequence alignment revealed a high level of species discrimination. Oligonucleotide primers were constructed to exploit species differences, and a multiplex PCR assay was developed to positively identify isolates of C. coli, C. jejuni, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis. We characterized an additional set of 41 thermotolerant isolates by partial nucleotide sequence analysis to further demonstrate the uniqueness of each species-specific region. The multiplex PCR assay was validated with 105 genetically defined isolates of C. coli, C. jejuni, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis, 34 strains representing 12 additional Campylobacter species, and 24 strains representing 19 non-Campylobacter species. Application of the multiplex PCR method to whole-cell lysates obtained from 108 clinical and environmental thermotolerant Campylobacter isolates resulted in 100% correlation with biochemical typing methods.  (+info)

Extended multilocus sequence typing system for Campylobacter coli, C. lari, C. upsaliensis, and C. helveticus. (6/14)

A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system has been reported previously for Campylobacter jejuni to both differentiate strains and identify clonal lineages. However, sequence variation at the MLST loci prevents its use for closely related Campylobacter species. We describe herein an expanded MLST method to include three clinically relevant Campylobacter species, C. coli, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis, and a fourth Campylobacter species, C. helveticus. The C. coli and C. helveticus methods use the same seven C. jejuni loci (aspA, atpA, glnA, gltA, glyA, pgm, and tkt); however, adk and pgi were substituted for aspA and gltA in C. lari and for gltA and pgm in C. upsaliensis. Multiple C. coli (n = 57), C. lari (n = 20), C. upsaliensis (n = 78), and C. helveticus (n = 9) isolates, representing both clinical and environmental sources, were typed. All four species were genetically diverse: the majority (> 80%) of the isolates had unique sequence types (STs). Using this method, mixed C. lari, C. upsaliensis, and C. helveticus isolates were identified; upon separation, each isolate was shown to contain two strains of the same species with distinct STs. Additionally, the expanded MLST method was able to detect potential lateral transfer events between C. jejuni and either C. coli or C. lari and between C. upsaliensis and C. helveticus. Thus, the expanded MLST method will prove useful in differentiating strains of five Campylobacter species, identifying mixed Campylobacter cultures, and detecting genetic exchange within the genus.  (+info)

Speciation of Campylobacter coli, C. jejuni, C. helveticus, C. lari, C. sputorum, and C. upsaliensis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. (7/14)

Multiple strains of Campylobacter coli, C. jejuni, C. helveticus, C. lari, C. sputorum, and C. upsaliensis isolated from animal, clinical, or food samples have been analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Whole bacterial cells were harvested from colonies or confluent growth on agar and transferred directly into solvent and then to a spot of dried 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (matrix). Multiple ions in the 5,000- to 15,000-Da mass range were evident in spectra for each strain; one or two ions in the 9,500- to 11,000-Da range were consistently high intensity. "Species-identifying" biomarker ions (SIBIs) were evident from analyses of multiple reference strains for each of the six species, including the genome strains C. jejuni NCTC 11168 and C. jejuni RM1221. Strains grown on nine different combinations of media and atmospheres yielded SIBI masses within +/-5 Da with external instrument calibration. The highest-intensity C. jejuni SIBIs were cytosolic proteins, including GroES, HU/HCj, and RplL. Multiple intraspecies SIBIs, corresponding probably to nonsynonymous nucleotide polymorphisms, also provided some intraspecies strain differentiation. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of 75 additional Campylobacter strains isolated from humans, poultry, swine, dogs, and cats revealed (i) associations of SIBI type with source, (ii) strains previously speciated incorrectly, and (iii) "strains" composed of more than one species. MALDI-TOF MS provides an accurate, sensitive, and rapid method for identification of multiple Campylobacter species relevant to public health and food safety.  (+info)

Recurrent Campylobacter lari bacteremia in X-linked agammaglobulinemia: a case report and review. (8/14)

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a primary immune deficiency disease with a B-cell defect. We present the first XLA patient who had recurrent Campylobacter lari bacteremia. High dose intravenous immunoglobulin combined with azithromycin once per week, and a complete avoidance of bacterial reservoirs may be helpful for the prevention of C. lari bacteremia.  (+info)

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