Characteristics and Pathogenicity of Non‐Melibiose‐Fermenting Strains of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O3

Abstract

The biological properties of non-melibiose-fermenting (NMF) strains of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis investigated.These strains were clearly distinguished from representative melibiose-fermenting (MF) strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis O3 by their pathogenicity in mice, sensitivity to some phages, production of catalase, restriction endonuclease analysis of virulence plasmid DNA with BamHI, detection of specific yersinia outer-membrane proteins with SDS-PAGE, antigenicity of the outer-membrane proteins and neutrophil resistance to phagocytosis. The pathogenicity of NMF strains was clearly less than that of MF strains. In addition, the resistance of NMF strains to phagocytosis and catalase activity was evidently weaker than that of MF strains. These results suggested that the difference of pathogenicity was due to the ability of catalase production. Although the relationship between the above characteristics and melibiose-fermentation was not analysed, the pathogenicity of Y. pseudotuberculosis O3 strains can probably be predicted by testing melibiose-fermentation and catalase production.

Geographical Heterogeneity between Far Eastern and Western Countries in Prevalence of the Virulence Plasmid, the SuperantigenYersinia pseudotuberculosis-Derived Mitogen, and the High-Pathogenicity Island amongYersinia pseudotuberculosisStrains

“…In contrast, all serotype O3 strains from wild animals in Japan were classified into MF groups 1, 2, 3, and 6. These MF strains were virulent for mice but NMF strains were not (data not shown), as previously described (29,31,44). However infections with NMF serotype O3 strains were found in some humans in Europe, Australia, and Japan (31) and in ruminant flocks in Australasia (41).…”

“…All strains isolated from pigs and other sources in Europe (29) and about one-half of all strains isolated from healthy pigs in Japan were NMF serotype O3 (44). The NMF serotype O3 strains from pigs were avirulent and atoxic, compared with strains of melibiose-fermenting (MF) serotype O3 from other sources in Japan (31,44) or serotype O1 from healthy pigs (29). In the present study, serotype O3 strains from pigs were divided into NMF group 5 and MF groups1, 2, 3, and 6.…”

Population structure of the Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex according to multilocus sequence typing

“…They have been isolated globally from buffalo, cattle, deer and pigs, and may correspond to the melibiose‐negative Y. pseudotuberculosis O:3 that are common among asymptomatic domestic pigs in many European countries (Weber and Knapp, 1981; Niskanen et al ., 2002; Ortiz Martínez et al ., 2009; 2011) as well as in Japan (Tsubokura et al ., 1984). It has been claimed that melibiose‐negative Y. pseudotuberculosis O:3 strains of genetic group G5 are associated with lowered pathogenicity (Mair et al ., 1979; Tsubokura et al ., 1984; Nagano et al ., 1997; Fukushima et al ., 2001). However, these isolates harbour the pYV and the chromosomal inv gene (Nagano et al ., 1997; Fukushima et al ., 2001).…”

“…It has been claimed that melibiose-negative Y. pseudotuberculosis O:3 strains of genetic group G5 are associated with lowered pathogenicity (Mair et al, 1979;Tsubokura et al, 1984;Nagano et al, 1997;Fukushima et al, 2001). However, these isolates harbour the pYV and the chromosomal inv gene (Nagano et al, 1997;Fukushima et al, 2001). They cause severe, sometimes fatal diarrhoea in cattle (Martins et al, 1998;Warth, 2010), and have also caused abortions in cattle and sheep and fatal enteric disease in squirrel monkeys (Mair et al, 1979;Buhles et al, 1981).…”

Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis

“…21), New Zealand (Henderson, 1983a;Henderson, 1984;Henderson and Hemmingsen, 1983b;Table 20), Brazil (Martins et al, 1998; (Table 24) and Canada (Toma, 1986;Table 22), and prevalence of this serotype in some Japanese pigs was noted (Tsubokura et al, 1984;Nagano et al, 1997a;Fukushima et al, 2001b; (Kanazawa et al, 1974;Toma, 1986;Aleksic et al, 1995), suggesting that ruminant animals (Slee et al, 1988), pigs (Tsubokura et al, 1984), or their products may be the source of human infections. The general environment of farms is naturally contaminated with excreta of wild animals such as rodents (Kaneko et al, 1979;Kaneko and Hashimoto, 1982) and birds (Mair, 1973) (Slee and Skilbeck, 1992).…”