title: Characterization of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A strains isolated from swine slaughterhouses and markets.
abstract: Yersinia enterocolitica is an important foodborne pathogen that causes illness in humans and animals. Y. enterocolitica is also the most heterogeneous species of the genus and is divided into distinct serotypes and over six biotypes. Y. enterocolitica biotype 1A strains are classically considered as nonpathogenic; however, some biotype 1A isolates have been considered as causative of gastrointestinal disease, yielding symptoms indistinguishable from those produced by pathogenic biotypes. Even after decades of isolation of clinical strains, the pathogenic mechanisms of these isolates are still not fully understood. In the present study, 122 Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A strains isolated from swine slaughterhouses and meat markets in Sao Paulo, Brazil, were characterized according to the presence of the virulence genes ail, virF, and ystA. A total of 94 strains were positive to at least one virulence gene (77.05%), and 67 were positive to all of them (54.92%). Twenty-two strains were submitted to PFGE genotyping resulting in 22 distinct pulsotypes, varying from 50% to 84% of genetic similarity. Any clustering tendency among pulsotypes related to origin, isolation site, or even virulence profile was not observed. The present study reports an important contamination of the environment in swine slaughterhouses, meat markets, and pork, by potentially virulent Y. enterocolitica biotype 1A.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Butanta, 05508-270 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paixão
authors.forename: Luisa Zanolli
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Débora Dirani
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Sena de Gobbi
authors.forename: Daniele Cristine
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Raimundo
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Matté
authors.forename: Thais Sebastiana Porfida
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Vasco Tulio
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: de Moura Gomes
authors.forename: Barbara Leticia Pereira
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Andrea Micke
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001938:Brazil; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D019649:Food Industry; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D013552:Swine; D059467:Transcriptome; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: C069712:Ail protein, Yersinia enterocolitica; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D037521:Virulence Factors; C048669:heat-stable enterotoxin (Yersinia)