Does Every Strain of Attack the Same? Results of a Study of the Prevalence of Virulence Factors of Strains Obtained from Different Animal Species in Northeastern Poland

Overview

Journal Pathogens

Date 2024 Nov 27

PMID 39599532

Authors

Pawel Foksinski

Alicja Blank

Edyta Kaczorek-Lukowska

Joanna Malaczewska

Malgorzata Wrobel

Ewelina A Wojcik

Patrycja Sowinska

Nina Pietrzyk

Rafal Matusiak

Roman Wojcik

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: is a pathogen that causes infections in animals and humans, with veterinary implications including ear infections in dogs, respiratory diseases in cats, and mastitis in ruminants. In humans, it causes severe hospital-acquired infections, particularly in immunosuppressed patients. This study aimed to identify and assess the prevalence of specific virulence factors in isolates.

Methods: We analyzed 98 isolates from various animal samples (dogs, cats, ruminants, fowl) from northeastern Poland in 2019-2022 for virulence-related genes (toxA, exoU, exoT, exoS, lasB, plcN, plcH, pldA, aprA, gacA, algD, pelA, endA, and oprF) by PCR and assessed biofilm formation at 48 and 72 h. Genomic diversity was assessed by ERIC-PCR.

Results: The obtained results showed that all strains harbored the A gene (100%), while the lowest prevalence was found for A (24%) and U (36%). Regardless of the animal species, strong biofilm forming ability was prevalent among the strains after both 48 h (75%) and 72 h (74%). We obtained as many as 87 different genotyping profiles, where the dominant one was profile ERIC-48, observed in four strains.

Conclusions: No correlation was found between presence or absence of determined genes and the nature of infection. Similarly, no correlation was found between biofilm-forming genes and biofilm strength. The high genetic diversity indicates challenges for effective prevention, emphasizing the need for ongoing monitoring and research.

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