Effect of Atmospheric Conditions on Pathogenic Phenotypes of Arcobacter butzleri

Abstract

Arcobacter butzleri is an emergent gram-negative enteropathogenic bacterium widespread in different environments and hosts. During the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, bacteria face a variety of environmental conditions to successfully establish infection in a new host. One of these challenges is the fluctuation of oxygen concentrations encountered not only throughout the host gastrointestinal tract and defences but also in the food industry. Oxygen fluctuations can lead to modulations in the virulence of the bacterium and possibly increase its pathogenic potential. In this sense, eight human isolates of A. butzleri were studied to evaluate the effects of microaerobic and aerobic atmospheric conditions in stressful host conditions, such as oxidative stress, acid survival, and human serum survival. In addition, the effects on the modulation of virulence traits, such as haemolytic activity, bacterial motility, biofilm formation ability, and adhesion and invasion of the Caco-2 cell line, were also investigated. Overall, aerobic conditions negatively affected the susceptibility to oxygen reactive species and biofilm formation ability but improved the isolates’ haemolytic ability and motility while other traits showed an isolate-dependent response. In summary, this work demonstrates for the first time that oxygen levels can modulate the potential pathogenicity of A. butzleri, although the response to stressful conditions was very heterogeneous among different strains.

Evaluation of Bile Salts on the Survival and Modulation of Virulence of Aliarcobacter butzleri

“…A. butzleri’s motility was evaluated as previously described by our research team [ 62 ]. Plates of TSB with 0.4% of agar (GRiSP, Porto, Portugal), with and without supplementation with 0.2% of bile salts were stabbed in the center with 5 μL of a bacterial suspension adjusted to 10 8 CFU/mL from an overnight culture.…”

Editorial for Special Issue Foodborne Pathogens: Infections and Pathogenesis

“…All these factors should be evaluated separately to reach robust conclusions. Therefore, the influence of oxygen levels in the modulation of virulence and pathogenicity-associated traits of Arcobacter butzleri was studied, and it was demonstrated for the first time that oxygen levels can modulate the pathogenicity of A. butzleri [ 9 ].…”