Multilocus sequence typing analysis ofPseudomonas aeruginosaisolated from pet Chinese stripe-necked turtles (Ocadia sinensis)

Abstract

Our research sought to characterize the phylogeny of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from pet Chinese stripe-necked turtles (Ocadia sinensis) to better understand its evolutionary relation to other isolates and increase understanding of a potential zoonotic pathogen transmitted through direct contact with pet turtles. Thirty-one Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were obtained from both immature and adult turtles sold in pet shops in Korea. To characterize the phylogenic position of Chinese stripe-necked turtle-borne P. aeruginosa relative to other strains, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis was performed due to the accessibility and breadth of MLST databases. Seven housekeeping genes (acsA, aroE, guaA, mutL, nuoD, ppsA, and trpE) were sequenced and the results were compared with data from the MLST database. The genes were further used for phylogenetic analysis of P. aeruginosa using concatenated gene fragments. Both rooted and unrooted phylogenetic trees were generated. Eleven distinct sequence types were present within the isolates among which seven were new. Expanding an unrooted phylogenetic tree to include P. aeruginosa MLST sequences isolated from various other geographic locations and sources revealed a divergent cluster containing the majority of isolates obtained from turtles. This suggests that P. aeruginosa strains particularly well-adapted for inhabiting turtles occupy a distinct phylogenetic position.

Recent Advances in Molecular Diagnosis of Pseudomonasaeruginosa Infection by State-of-the-Art Genotyping Techniques

“…Multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) analysis is an electronically portable, universal, and definitive bacterial typing method that focuses solely on conserved housekeeping genes and the combination of each allele ( Wendt and Heo, 2016 ). This is aim to define the sequence type for each isolate and provide information in the relatedness of bacterial isolates at the core genome level.…”

Antibacterial activity of essential oil from lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) against pet turtle-borne pathogenic bacteria

“…Turtles are popular reptilian species which are being used as pets worldwide. Meanwhile, pet turtles are known as a reservoir of different species of bacteria [ 11 12 13 ]. Antimicrobials are used for the treatment of different kinds of bacterial infection in pet turtle industry, but it caused the rise of resistance in their normal microflora [ 14 ].…”

Quinolone susceptibility and genetic characterization of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolated from pet turtles

“…However, pet turtles are known to harbor a variety of zoonotic bacteria, especially, in their digestive tract [ 14 15 ]. Several previous studies have been conducted to assess the bacterial flora harbored by pet turtles and their environment [ 16 17 18 ]. Turtle-borne Salmonella , in particular, has been well-recognized as a major cause of salmonellosis in humans [ 19 ].…”