Analysis of the Listeria monocytogenes Population Structure among Isolates from 1931 to 2015 in Australia.

Listeriosis remains among the most important bacterial illnesses, with a high associated mortality rate. Efforts to control listeriosis require detailed knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease itself, and its etiological bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes. In this study we provide an in-depth analysis of the epidemiology of 224 L. monocytogenes isolates from Australian clinical and non-clinical sources. Non-human sources included meat, dairy, seafood, fruit, and vegetables, along with animal and environmental isolates. Serotyping, Multi-Locus Sequence Typing, and analysis of inlA gene sequence were performed. Serogroups IIA, IIB, and IVB comprised 94% of all isolates, with IVB over-represented among clinical isolates. Serogroup IIA was the most common among dairy and meat isolates. Lineage I isolates were most common among clinical isolates, and 52% of clinical isolates belonged to ST1. Overall 39 STs were identified in this study, with ST1 and ST3 containing the largest numbers of L. monocytogenes isolates. These STs comprised 40% of the total isolates (n = 90), and both harbored isolates from clinical and non-clinical sources. ST204 was the third most common ST. The high prevalence of this group among L. monocytogenes populations has not been reported outside Australia. Twenty-seven percent of the STs in this study contained exclusively clinical isolates. Analysis of the virulence protein InlA among isolates in this study identified a truncated form of the protein among isolates from ST121 and ST325. The ST325 group contained a previously unreported novel mutation leading to production of a 93 amino acid protein. This study provides insights in the population structure of L. monocytogenes isolated in Australia, which will contribute to public health knowledge relating to this important human pathogen.

Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 and its uses in the derivation of thermal processing schedules for low-acid shelf-stable foods and as a research model for proteolytic Clostridium botulinum.

The putrefactive anaerobe Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 has been widely used as a nontoxigenic surrogate for proteolytic Clostridium botulinum in the validation of thermal processes for low-acid shelf-stable foods, as a target organism in the derivation of thermal processes that reduce the risk of spoilage of such foods to an acceptable level, and as a research model for proteolytic strains of C. botulinum. Despite the importance of this organism, our knowledge of it has remained fragmented. In this article we draw together the literature associated with PA 3679 and discuss the identity of this organism, the phylogenetic relationships that exist between PA 3679 and various strains of C. sporogenes and proteolytic C. botulinum, the heat resistance characteristics of PA 3679, the advantages and limitations associated with its use in the derivation of thermal processing schedules, and the knowledge gaps and opportunities that exist with regard to its use as a research model for proteolytic C. botulinum. Phylogenetic analysis reviewed here suggests that PA 3679 is more closely related to various strains of proteolytic C. botulinum than to selected strains, including the type strain, of C. sporogenes. Even though PA 3679 is demonstrably nontoxigenic, the genetic basis of this nontoxigenic status remains to be elucidated, and the genetic sequence of this microorganism appears to be the key knowledge gap remaining to be filled. Our comprehensive review of comparative heat resistance data gathered for PA 3679 and proteolytic strains of C. botulinum over the past 100 years supports the practice of using PA 3679 as a (typically fail-safe) thermal processing surrogate for proteolytic C. botulinum.

Draft genome sequence of Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679, the common nontoxigenic surrogate for proteolytic Clostridium botulinum.

Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 is widely used as a nontoxigenic surrogate for proteolytic strains of Clostridium botulinum in the derivation and validation of thermal processes in food. Here we report the draft assembly and annotation of the C. sporogenes PA 3679 genome. Preliminary analysis demonstrates a high degree of relatedness between C. sporogenes PA 3679 and sequenced strains of proteolytic C. botulinum.

Psychroflexus torquis gen. nov., sp. nov., a psychrophilic species from Antarctic sea ice, and reclassification of Flavobacterium gondwanense (Dobson et al. 1993) as Psychroflexus gondwanense gen. nov., comb. nov.

A group of sea-ice-derived psychrophilic bacterial strains possessing the unusual ability to synthesize the polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 omega 3) and arachidonic acid (20:4 omega 6) belong to the Family Flavobacteriaceae (Flexibacter-Bacteroides-Flavobacterium phylum), according to 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Surprisingly, the isolates were also found to cluster closely to the moderately halophilic and psychrotrophic species [Flavobacterium] gondwanense (sequence similarity 97.8-98.1%). The whole-cell fatty acid profiles of this group and [Flavobacterium] gondwanense were very similar and distinct from other related flavobacteria. The sea ice strains and [Flavobacterium] gondwanense differed substantially in terms of ecophysiology, possibly representing divergent adaptations to sympagic and planktonic marine habitats, respectively. Evidence based on phylogeny and fatty acid profiles supports the conclusion that the taxa are close relatives distinct from other bacterial groups. It is thus proposed that the sea ice strains represent a novel taxon designated Psychroflexus torquis gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain ACAM 623T) while [Flavobacterium] gondwanense becomes Psychroflexus gondwanense gen. nov., comb. nov.