SUMMARY
The genus
Arcobacter
, defined almost 20 years ago from members of the genus
Campylobacter
, has become increasingly important because its members are being considered emergent enteropathogens and/or potential zoonotic agents. Over recent years information that is relevant for microbiologists, especially those working in the medical and veterinary fields and in the food safety sector, has accumulated. Recently, the genus has been enlarged with several new species. The complete genomes of
Arcobacter butzleri
and
Arcobacter nitrofigilis
are available, with the former revealing diverse pathways characteristic of free-living microbes and virulence genes homologous to those of
Campylobacter.
The first multilocus sequence typing analysis showed a great diversity of sequence types, with no association with specific hosts or geographical regions. Advances in detection and identification techniques, mostly based on molecular methods, have been made. These microbes have been associated with water outbreaks and with indicators of fecal pollution, with food products and water as the suspected routes of transmission. This review updates this knowledge and provides the most recent data on the taxonomy, species diversity, methods of detection, and identification of these microbes as well as on their virulence potential and implication in human and animal diseases.
It is widely recognized that Aeromonas infections produce septicaemia, and ulcerative and haemorrhagic diseases in fish, causing significant mortality in both wild and farmed freshwater and marine fish species that damage the economics of the aquaculture sector. The descriptions of the complete genomes of Aeromonas species have allowed the identification of an important number of virulence genes that affect the pathogenic potential of these bacteria. This review will focus on the most relevant information derived from the available Aeromonas genomes in relation to virulence and on the diverse virulence factors that actively participate in host adherence, colonization and infection, including structural components, extracellular factors, secretion systems, iron acquisition and quorum sensing mechanisms.
A re-evaluation of the taxonomic position of five strains, one assigned to
Cronobacter sakazakii
(strain 1330T, isolated from spiced meat purchased in Slovakia), two previously assigned to
Cronobacter
genomospecies 1 (strains NCTC 9529T and 731, isolated from water and a leg infection, respectively) and two previously assigned to
Cronobacter turicensis
(strains 96 and 1435, isolated from onion powder and rye flour, respectively) was carried out. The analysis included phenotypic characterization, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of seven housekeeping genes (atpD, fusA, glnS, gltB, gyrB, infB, ppsA; 3036 bp). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and MLSA showed that strain 1330T formed an independent phylogenetic lineage in the MLSA, with
Cronobacter dublinensis
LMG 23823T as the closest neighbour. DNA–DNA reassociation and phenotypic analysis revealed that strain 1330T represented a novel species, for which the name Cronobacter condimenti sp. nov. is proposed (type strain 1330T = CECT 7863T = LMG 26250T). Strains NCTC 9529T, 731, 96 and 1435 clustered together within an independent phylogenetic lineage, with
C. turicensis
LMG 23827T as the closest neighbour in the MLSA. DNA–DNA reassociation and phenotypic analysis confirmed that these strains represent a novel species, for which the name Cronobacter universalis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain NCTC 9529T = CECT 7864T = LMG 26249T).
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