title: Potential pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila complex strains isolated from clinical, food, and environmental sources.
abstract: Aeromonas are autochthonous inhabitants of aquatic environments, including chlorinated and polluted waters, although they can also be isolated from a wide variety of environmental and clinical sources. They cause infections in vertebrates and invertebrates and are considered to be an emerging pathogen in humans, producing intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. Most of the clinical isolates correspond to A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A. veronii bv. Sobria, which are described as the causative agents of wound infections, septicaemia, and meningitis in immunocompromised people, and diarrhoea and dysenteric infections in the elderly and children. The pathogenic factors associated with Aeromonas are multifactorial and involve structural components, siderophores, quorum-sensing mechanisms, secretion systems, extracellular enzymes, and exotoxins. In this study, we analysed a representative number of clinical and environmental strains belonging to the A. hydrophila species complex to evaluate their potential pathogenicity. We thereby detected their enzymatic activities and antibiotic susceptibility pattern and the presence of virulence genes (aer, alt, ast, and ascV). The notably high prevalence of these virulence factors, even in environmental strains, indicated a potential pathogenic capacity. Additionally, we determined the adhesion capacity and cytopathic effects of this group of strains in Caco-2 cells. Most of the strains exhibited adherence and caused complete lysis.
authors.affiliation: a Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicenta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Albarral
authors.affiliation: a Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Ariadna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanglas
authors.affiliation: a Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palau
authors.affiliation: a Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miñana-Galbis
authors.affiliation: a Departament de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitàries, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona 08028, Spain.|b Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fusté
mesh_terms: D016980:Aeromonas hydrophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005516:Food Microbiology; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D008974:Mollusca / Q000382:microbiology; D012756:Sheep; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Aeromonas hydrophila complex; Caco-2; complexe d’Aeromonas hydrophila; enterotoxins; facteurs de virulence; virulence factors