1887

Abstract

An in-depth polyphasic approach was applied to study the population structure of the human pathogen . To assess the intraspecific biodiversity of this species, which is the causative agent of gastrointestinal diseases, a total of 90 isolates from diverse geographical origin were studied by genetic [M13-PCR, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), multilocus sequence typing (MLST)] and phenetic [Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR), protein profiling, biochemical assays] methods. The strain set included clinical strains, isolates from food remnants connected to outbreaks, as well as isolates from diverse food environments with a well documented strain history. The phenotypic and genotypic analysis of the compiled panel of strains illustrated a considerable diversity among connected to diarrhoeal syndrome and other non-emetic food strains, but a very low diversity among emetic isolates. Using all typing methods, cluster analysis revealed a single, distinct cluster of emetic strains. The isolates belonging to this cluster were neither able to degrade starch nor could they ferment salicin; they did not possess the genes encoding haemolysin BL (Hbl) and showed only weak or no haemolysis. In contrast, haemolytic-enterotoxin-producing strains showed a high degree of heterogeneity and were scattered over different clusters when different typing methods were applied. These data provide evidence for a clonal population structure of cereulide-producing emetic and indicate that emetic strains represent a highly clonal complex within a potentially panmictic or weakly clonal background population structure of the species. It may have originated only recently through acquisition of specific virulence factors such as the cereulide synthetase gene.

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2005-01-01
2024-03-29
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