Screening of Pig (Sus scrofa) Bactericidal Permeability-Increasing Protein (BPI) Gene as Marker for Disease Resistance

Salmonella infection can cause septicemia, acute or chronic enteritis and wasting in weaned pigs, but may occur in other age groups. The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) gene plays an important role in the natural defense of the host and is found to be associated with resistance/susceptibility to Salmonella infection and identified as a candidate gene for disease resistance breeding in pig. This study was conducted to screen the resistance and/or susceptibility of pigs to Salmonella infection, to determine the genotype and evaluate presence of resistant allele of the BPI gene in population of pigs, and to establish genetic data for pig breeders for the improvement of Philippine pig industry. In this study, 389 blood samples from different pig breeds were collected from pig breeder farms in the Philippines. Genomic DNA was extracted from these samples and genotyping was done by PCR-RFLP analysis using AvaII restriction enzyme. Out of 389 pigs, the genotypic frequency showed that 98.4, 1.3, and 0.3% pigs are resistant (GG), heterozygous type (AG), and susceptible (AA), respectively. The application of BPI gene as marker for disease resistance will provide information to the pig industry to implement strategies for the identification of Salmonella infection-resistant pigs.     

蒲公英植酸对沙门氏菌抑制作用及其抑菌机理研究

为探究蒲公英植酸对沙门氏菌的抑制作用及其抑菌机理。本文利用沉淀法和离子交换法提取蒲公英植酸,滤纸片法分析蒲公英植酸对沙门氏菌(Salmonella)的抑菌作用,倍比稀释法研究蒲公英植酸的最低抑菌浓度。通过分析沙门氏菌的细胞通透性和生长动力学,结合扫描电镜和荧光显微镜研究了蒲公英植酸对沙门氏菌的抑菌机理,表明蒲公英植酸对沙门氏菌具有很好的抑菌能力,其最小抑菌浓度为0.2 mg/mL。而且植酸对沙门氏菌的抑制作用是通过破坏细胞膜达到抑菌的效果,并且植酸浓度越高,抑菌效果越显著。这表明蒲公英植酸可以有效地抑制沙门氏菌生长,其主要是通过破坏菌体细胞膜完整性,增加细胞薄膜的通透性,使细胞内容物外溢达到抑制细菌生长的目的。     

Microbial enrichment and multiplexed microfiltration for accelerated detection of Salmonella in spinach

To attain Salmonella detection thresholds in spinach suspensions using enrichment media requires at least 24 hr. Separation and concentration of selected microorganisms via microfiltration and microfugation reduce time for sample preparation, especially when working with large volumes of vegetable suspensions. This facilitates accelerated detection of Salmonella in spinach suspensions, and may contribute to effectively monitoring this pathogen before it reaches the consumer. We report a microfiltration-based protocol for accelerated sample preparation to concentrate and recover ≤1 colony forming unit (CFU) Salmonella/g pathogen-free spinach. Store-bought samples of spinach and a spinach plant subjected to two environmental conditions (temperature and light exposure) during its production were tested. The overall procedure involves extraction with buffer, a short enrichment step, prefiltration using a nylon filter, crossflow hollow fiber microfiltration, and retentate centrifugation to bring microbial cells to detection levels. Based on 1 CFU Salmonella/g frozen spinach, and a Poisson distribution statistical analyses with 99% probability, we calculated that 3 hr of incubation, when followed by microfiltration, is sufficient to reach the 2 log concentration required for Salmonella detection within 7 hr. Longer enrichment times (5 hr or more) is needed for concentrations lower than 1 CFU Salmonella/g of ready to eat spinach. The recovered microbial cells were identified and confirmed as Salmonella using both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and plating methods. Different environmental conditions tested during production did not affect Salmonella viability; this demonstrated the broad adaptability of Salmonella and emphasized the need for methods that enable efficient monitoring of production for the presence of this pathogen.     

Global distribution of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr gene in Salmonella: A systematic review

This systematic review focuses on obtaining the most relevant information from multiple studies that detected a mobilized colistin resistance mcr gene in Salmonella for a better comprehension of its global distribution. A group of strategic and systematic keywords were combined to retrieve research data on the detection frequency of the mcr gene globally from four database platforms (Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed and Scielo). Forty-eight studies attended all the eligibility criteria and were selected. China was the country with the highest frequency of Salmonella strains with the mcr gene, and Europe exhibited a wide diversity of countries with positive mcr strains. In addition, animals and humans carried the highest frequency of positive strains for the mcr gene. Salmonella Typhimurium was the most frequent serovar carrying the mcr gene. Apparently, colistin overuse in animal husbandry has increased the selective pressure of antimicrobial resistance, resulting in the emergence of a plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr gene in China. The mcr-positive Salmonella strains are recently predominant worldwide, which is probably due to the capacity of this gene to be swiftly horizontally transmissible. The transmission ability of mcr-positive Salmonella strains to humans through the consumption of contaminated animal-based food is a public health concern.     

伤寒沙门菌非编码RNA617的分子鉴定及其对生物膜形成的影响研究

本研究旨在探讨伤寒沙门菌(Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, S. Typhi)中非编码RNA617(non-coding RNA617,ncRNA617)的分子特性,并研究其对生物膜形成的影响及作用机制。采用Northern blot方法检测ncRNA617的表达,通过cDNA 5’末端快速扩增技术(5’-rapid amplification of cDNA end,5’RACE)和逆转录-聚合酶链式反应(reverse transcriotion-polymerase chain reaction,3’RT-PCR)实验分析ncRNA617可能的转录起始位点和终止位点;构建ncRNA617缺陷菌株、回补菌株和过表达菌株等相关菌株,通过生物膜形成实验,观察ncRNA617对伤寒沙门菌生物膜形成的影响,并用实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应(quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,qPCR)分析生物膜形成相关基因表达水平的变化,综合运用生物信息学方法预测ncRNA617和差异基因的结合区域,初步分析ncRNA617发挥调控作用的机制。结果显示,伤寒沙门菌确有ncRNA617的表达,长度约300 nt,其转录起始位点位于mig-14终止密码子下游967 nt处,终止位点位于t2681起始密码子上游 2 378～2 560 nt处。与野生对照菌株相比,ncRNA617缺陷菌株生物膜形成能力增强(P<0.05),回补菌株的生物膜形成能力恢复至野生菌株水平,过表达菌株的生物膜形成能力有所下降(P<0.05)。qPCR结果表明,ncRNA617可负向调控多个生物膜形成相关基因的转录表达水平(P<0.05)。经生物信息学方法预测发现,ncRNA617与差异基因有不同的结合区域。本研究结果提示,ncRNA617在伤寒沙门菌中存在,其长度约270～452 nt。ncRNA617可能通过靶向结合生物膜形成相关基因下调基因表达,从而负向调控伤寒沙门菌生物膜的生成。     

鼠伤寒沙门菌入侵宿主细胞机制研究进展*

鼠伤寒沙门菌(Salmonella typhimurium)是一种人畜共患的肠道病原菌,可引起肠道炎症。该病原菌主要通过其致病岛(SPIs)编码的III型分泌系统(T3SS)分泌效应因子,包括促炎因子和抗炎因子。其在入侵肠上皮细胞时会释放促炎因子引发炎症反应,同时,为防止促炎因子过度破坏宿主细胞影响菌体的生存和繁殖,鼠伤寒沙门菌会产生一系列抗炎因子来调节细胞内信号通路,与宿主共同繁殖并最终全身扩散造成严重感染。旨在对鼠伤寒沙门菌利用T3SS效应因子入侵并调节宿主细胞信号通路机制进行概述。