East and West African milk products are reservoirs for human and livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus frequently isolated from milk products in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a major pathogen responsible for food intoxication, human and animal diseases. SSA hospital-derived strains are well studied but data on the population structure of foodborne S. aureus required to identify possible staphylococcal food poisoning sources is lacking. Therefore, the aim was to assess the population genetic structure, virulence and antibiotic resistance genes associated with milk-derived S. aureus isolates from Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and Somalia through spa-typing, MLST, and DNA microarray analysis. Seventy milk S. aureus isolates from the three countries were assigned to 27 spa (7 new) and 23 (12 new) MLST sequence types. Milk-associated S. aureus of the three countries is genetically diverse comprising human and livestock-associated clonal complexes (CCs) predominated by the CC5 (n = 10) and CC30 (n = 9) isolates. Panton-Valentine leukocidin, toxic shock syndrome toxin and enterotoxin encoding genes were predominantly observed among human-associated CCs. Penicillin, fosfomycin and tetracycline, but not methicillin resistance genes were frequently detected. Our findings indicate that milk-associated S. aureus in SSA originates from human and animal sources alike highlighting the need for an overarching One Health approach to reduce S. aureus disease burdens through improving production processes, animal care and hygienic measures.

Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67 impacts on growth and virulence gene expression of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium.

BACKGROUND: Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67 (RBL67), a human fecal isolate and health promoting candidate shows antagonistic and protective effects against Salmonella and Listeria spec. in vitro. However, the underlying mechanisms fostering these effects remain unknown. In this study, the interactions of RBL67 and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium N-15 (N-15) were explored by global transcriptional analysis. RESULTS: Growth experiments were performed in a complex nutritive medium with controlled pH of 6.0 and suitable for balanced growth of both RBL67 and N-15. RBL67 growth was slightly enhanced in presence of N-15. Conversely, N-15 showed reduced growth in the presence of RBL67. Transcriptional analyses revealed higher expression of stress genes and amino acid related function in RBL67 in co-culture with N-15 when compared to mono-culture. Repression of the PhoP regulator was observed in N-15 in presence of RBL67. Further, RBL67 activated virulence genes located on the Salmonella pathogenicity islands 1 and 2. Flagellar genes, however, were repressed by RBL67. Sequential expression of flagellar, SPI 1 and fimbrial genes is essential for Salmonella infection. Our data revealed that RBL67 triggers expression of SPI 1 and fimbrial determinants prematurely, potentially leading to redundant energy expenditure. In the competitive environment of the gut such energy expenditure could lead to enhanced clearing of Salmonella. CONCLUSION: Our study provides first insights into probiotic-pathogen interactions on global transcriptional level and suggests that deregulation of virulence gene expression might be an additional protective mechanism of probiotica against infections of the host.

Effect of Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67 and fructo-oligosaccharides on the gut microbiota in Göttingen minipigs.

Modulating the gut microbiota via dietary interventions is a common strategy to enhance the natural defence mechanisms of the host. Several in vitro studies have highlighted the probiotic potential of Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67 (RBL67) selected for its anti-Salmonella effects. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of RBL67 alone and combined with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on the gut microbiota of Göttingen minipigs. Minipigs were fed a basal diet supplemented with 8 g/d probiotic powder (1×109 CFU/g in skim milk matrix) (probiotic diet (PRO)), 8 g/d probiotic powder plus 8 g/d FOS (synbiotic diet (SYN)) or 8 g/d skim milk powder (control), following a cross-sectional study design. Faecal and caecal microbiota compositions were analysed with pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes and quantitative PCR. Metabolic activity in the caecum and colon was measured by HPLC. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that minipig faeces show close similarity to pig microbiota. During the treatments and at the time of killing of animals, RBL67 was consistently detected in faeces, caecum and colon at numbers of 105-106 16S rRNA copies/g content after feeding PRO and SYN diets. At the time of killing of animals, significantly higher Bifidobacterium numbers in the caecum and colon of SYN-fed minipigs were measured compared with PRO. Our data indicate that the Göttingen minipig may be a suitable model for gut microbiota research in pigs. Data from this first in vivo study of RBL67 colonisation suggest that the combination with FOS may represent a valuable symbiotic strategy to increase probiotic bacteria levels and survival in gastrointestinal tracts for feed and food applications.

In vitro continuous fermentation model (PolyFermS) of the swine proximal colon for simultaneous testing on the same gut microbiota.

In vitro gut modeling provides a useful platform for a fast and reproducible assessment of treatment-related changes. Currently, pig intestinal fermentation models are mainly batch models with important inherent limitations. In this study we developed a novel in vitro continuous fermentation model, mimicking the porcine proximal colon, which we validated during 54 days of fermentation. This model, based on our recent PolyFermS design, allows comparing different treatment effects on the same microbiota. It is composed of a first-stage inoculum reactor seeded with immobilized fecal swine microbiota and used to constantly inoculate (10% v/v) five second-stage reactors, with all reactors fed with fresh nutritive chyme medium and set to mimic the swine proximal colon. Reactor effluents were analyzed for metabolite concentrations and bacterial composition by HPLC and quantitative PCR, and microbial diversity was assessed by 454 pyrosequencing. The novel PolyFermS featured stable microbial composition, diversity and metabolite production, consistent with bacterial activity reported for swine proximal colon in vivo. The constant inoculation provided by the inoculum reactor generated reproducible microbial ecosystems in all second-stage reactors, allowing the simultaneous investigation and direct comparison of different treatments on the same porcine gut microbiota. Our data demonstrate the unique features of this novel PolyFermS design for the swine proximal colon. The model provides a tool for efficient, reproducible and cost-effective screening of environmental factors, such as dietary additives, on pig colonic fermentation.

Monitoring horizontal antibiotic resistance gene transfer in a colonic fermentation model.

The human microbiota is suggested to be a reservoir of antibiotic resistance (ABR) genes, which are exchangeable between transient colonizers and residing bacteria. In this study, the transfer of ABR genes from Enterococcus faecalis to Listeria monocytogenes and to commensal bacteria of the human gut microbiota was demonstrated in a colonic fermentation model. In the first fermentation, an E. faecalis donor harboring the marked 50-kb conjugative plasmid pRE25(*) and a chromosomal marker was co-immobilized with L. monocytogenes and infant feces. In this complex environment, the transfer of pRE25(*) to L. monocytogenes was observed. In a second fermentation, only the E. faecalis donor and feces were co-immobilized. Enumeration of pRE25(*) and the donor strain by quantitative PCR revealed an increasing ratio of pRE25(*) to the donor throughout the 16-day fermentation, indicating the transfer of pRE25(*) . An Enterococcus avium transconjugant was isolated, demonstrating that ABR gene transfer to gut commensals occurred. Moreover, pRE25(*) was still functional in both the E. avium and the L. monocytogenes transconjugant and transmittable to other genera in filter mating experiments. Our study reveals that the transfer of a multiresistance plasmid to commensal bacteria in the presence of competing fecal microbiota occurs in a colonic model, suggesting that commensal bacteria contribute to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Construction and characterization of Enterococcus faecalis CG110/gfp/pRE25*, a tool for monitoring horizontal gene transfer in complex microbial ecosystems.

Enterococci are among the most notorious bacteria involved in the spread of antibiotic resistance (ABR) determinants via horizontal gene transfer, a process that leads to increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In complex microbial communities with a high background of ABR genes, detection of gene transfer is possible only when the ABR determinant is marked. Therefore, the conjugative multiresistance plasmid pRE25, originating from a sausage-associated Enterococcus faecalis, was tagged with a 34-bp random sequence marker spliced by tet(M). The plasmid constructed, designated pRE25(*) , was introduced into E. faecalis CG110/gfp, a strain containing a gfp gene as chromosomal marker. The plasmid pRE25(*) is fully functional compared with its parental pRE25, occurs at one to two copies per chromosome, and can be transferred to Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua at frequencies of 6 × 10(-6) to 8 × 10(-8) transconjugants per donor. The markers on the chromosome and the plasmid enable independent quantification of donor and plasmid, even if ABR genes occur at high numbers in the background ecosystem. Both markers were stable for at least 200 generations, permitting application of the strain in long-running experiments. Enterococcus faecalis CG110/gfp/pRE25(*) is a potent tool for the investigation of horizontal ABR gene transfer in complex environments such as food matrices, biofilms or colonic models.