Thin, aggregative fimbriae mediate binding of Salmonella enteritidis to fibronectin.

The binding of human fibronectin and Congo red by an autoaggregative Salmonella enteritidis strain was found to be dependent on its ability to produce thin, aggregative fimbriae, named SEF 17 (for Salmonella enteritidis fimbriae with an apparent fimbrin molecular mass of 17 kDa). Two other fimbrial types produced by S. enteritidis, SEF 14 and SEF 21, were not responsible for the aggregative phenotype or for fibronectin binding. SEF 17-negative TnphoA mutants which retained the ability to produce SEF 14 and SEF 21 were unable to bind human fibronectin or Congo red and lost the ability to autoaggregate. Only purified SEF 17 but not purified SEF 14 or SEF 21 bound fibronectin in a solid-phase binding assay. Furthermore, only SEF 17 was able to inhibit fibronectin binding to S. enteritidis whole cells in a direct competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results indicate that SEF 17 are the fimbriae responsible for binding fibronectin by this enteropathogen.     

Type 1 fimbriae of Salmonella enteritidis.

Salmonella enteritidis was previously shown to produce fimbriae composed of 14,000-molecular-weight (Mr) fimbrin monomers (J. Feutrier, W. W. Kay, and T. J. Trust, J. Bacteriol. 168:221-227, 1986). Another distinct fimbrial structure, comprising 21,000-Mr fimbrin monomers, has now been identified. These fimbriae are simply designated as SEF 14 and SEF 21, respectively (for S. enteritidis fimbriae and the Mr [in thousands] of the fimbrin monomer). A simple method for the purification of both structures was developed by using the different biochemical properties of these fimbriae. SEF 21 remained intact after being boiled in sodium dodecyl sulfate but readily dissociated into subunits of 21,000 Mr at pH 2.2. The overall amino acid composition and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the SEF 21 fimbrin were distinct from those of SEF 14 but were virtually identical to the predicted sequence for type 1 fimbrin of Salmonella typhimurium. Immunoelectron microscopy of S. enteritidis clearly revealed fimbrial structures that reacted with immune serum specific to the 21,000-Mr fimbrin. Immune sera raised against this subunit were cross-reactive with type 1 fimbrins found in whole-cell lysates of S. typhimurium, Salmonella illinois, and Salmonella cubana. However, there was no cross-reaction with Escherichia coli type 1 fimbriae or with other fimbrins produced by S. enteritidis. Under certain growth conditions, S. enteritidis produced both SEF 14 and SEF 21. However, when S. enteritidis was grown at 30 degrees C or lower, only the 21,000-Mr SEF 21 fimbrin could be detected. There was a direct correlation between mannose-sensitive hemagglutination and the presence of SEF 21.     

Characterization of fibronectin binding to Salmonella enteritidis strain 27655R

Abstract The optimal conditions for the binding of fibronectin to Salmonella enteritidis strain 27655R, and the cell-surface components involved in the binding, were identified. Cultivation on colonisation factor antigen (CFA) agar or in CFA broth at 33°C for 24 h were found to be optimal for the expression of fibronectin binding. Such cultures exhibited 88% and 70% binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled fibronectin and its 29-kDa N-terminal domain, respectively. The fibronectin binding was reversed by the addition of unlabelled fibronectin or its 29-kDa fragment. Scatchard plot analysis of the binding showed that the strain possessed one high-affinity ( K _d= 5.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ M) and one low-affinity ( K _d= 2 × 10⁻⁸ M) binding site. The fibronectin-binding could be inhibited by cell surface components of S. enteritidis 27655R released by 30 min treatment at 65°C or 95°C. Inhibition could also be achieved using purified fimbriae. A non-fimbriated mutant of strain 27655R showed a much reduced binding of fibronectin (15%). Electron microscopic analysis showed association of the gold-labelled 29-kDa N-terminal fragment with S. enteritidis 27655R fimbriae. In conclusion, the findings suggest that S. enteritidis (strain 27655R) possesses fibronectin-binding fimbriae.     

Stability of plasmids in five strains of Salmonella maintained in stab culture at different temperatures

Four strains of Salmonella berta and one of Salm. enteritidis were stored as stab cultures in sugar-free agar at 5°, 22° and 30°C and in 15% glycerol at—80°C. The stability of the plasmid profiles in each of the strains was monitored over a period of 2·5 years.
Plasmid profiles were stable in all strains stored at—80°C, and only six of 450 colonies examined from strains kept in sugar-free agar at 5°C had lost plasmid molecules. Seventy of 440 colonies from stab cultures that were kept at 22°C, and 71 of 440 colonies at 30°C showed changed plasmid profiles. The total number of plasmids lost increased with time, and occasionally, more than one plasmid molecule was lost in the same strain.
The virulence associated plasmid of Salm. enteritidis was remarkably stable as it was maintained in all colonies examined at all temperatures investigated. Likewise, no change in Sma I restriction profile was observed in this plasmid molecule at any temperature.     

Interrelationships between strains of Salmonella enteritidis belonging to phage types 4, 7, 7a, 8, 13, 13a, 23, 24 and 30

Salmonella enteritidis strain P278849 expressed long-chain lipopolysaccharide (LPS, termed 'smooth'), carried plasmids of 38, 34 (pDEP 44, incompatibility group N, R-type AS), 2.0 and 1 MDa, and belonged to phage type (PT) 23. Introduction of pDEP 44 into a smooth strain of Salm. enteritidis PT 4 produced a smooth strain of Salm. enteritidis of PT 24. Transfer of this plasmid into a strain of PT 8 also resulted in formation of a smooth strain of Salm. enteritidis of PT 24. Moving pDEP 44 into strains of Salm. enteritidis of PTs 7 or 7a which did not express LPS (termed 'rough') resulted in rough strains of PT 23. In contrast, transfer of this plasmid into a smooth strain of Salm. enteritidis PT 7a resulted in a smooth strain of PT 23. Introduction of pDEP 44 into strains of Salm. enteritidis of PT 13 or PT 13a did not change the phage type, whereas transferring the plasmid into strains of PT 30 caused strains to become resistant to lysis by the typing phages and therefore untypable. The possibility of strains of Salm. enteritidis of PT 8 being the progenitors of strains of Salm. enteritidis of PT 24 must now be considered when investigating the epidemiology of Salm. enteritidis of PT 24 infections in areas where Salm. enteritidis PT 8 is common.     

The study of Salmonellaenteritidis growth kinetics using Rapid Automated Bacterial Impedance Technique

In order to study strain-specific differences in their growth behaviour at different, and particularly lower, temperatures, generation times for 45 strains of Salmonella enteritidis isolated from food were determined impedimetrically over a temperature range from 7 to 42 °C. In practical terms, 7 °C is the minimum requirement for Salm. enteritidis growth, and generation time variability increases markedly as this temperature is reached. Reports in the literature describing psychrotrophic behaviour and multiplication at lower temperatures cannot be confirmed. Generation time variability increased as temperature moved away from the optimal range with variation coefficients tending to rise as temperature fell. The great variability of multiplication parameters near the growth limit found in Salm. enteritidis may also be a characteristic of other bacterial species. It is therefore imperative to commence studies on larger numbers of strains to allow prediction of their behaviour at lower temperatures.     

Survival of Salmonella enteritidis PT4 and Salm. typhimurium Swindon in aerosols

A.S. McDERMID AND M.S. LEVER. 1996. Small particle aerosols of plate-grown Salmonella enteritidis and Salm. typhimurium were generated and maintained within a rotating drum at 75% relative humidity and 24°C for 2 h. Plate-grown organisms were found to be more aerosol-stable than broth-grown organisms. Differences were observed between the two species; plate-grown Salm. typhimurium retained 100% viability after 2 h compared to approximately 70% for plate-grown Salm. enteritidis . A large proportion of cells of both serotypes remained viable in aerosols after 2 h, confirming the potential for airborne transmission for these organisms, e.g. within henhouses and during food     

Haemagglutinins and Fimbriae in Different Serotypes and Biotypes of Yersinia enterocolitica

When cultured in static broth at 20°C, 46 of 115 strains of Yersinia enterocolitica , diverse in biotype and serotype, produced a broad-spectrum mannose-resistant (MR) adhesin that agglutinated the erythrocytes of all of 10 animal species examined. The production of haemagglutinin (HA) was associated with the presence of fimbriae of S nm diameter. Culture of HA+ strains at 37° resulted in the disappearance of haemagglutinating ability and loss of fimbrial production. Strains of Y. enterocolitica with K1 antigen produced an MR adhesin that agglutinated only fowl erythrocytes and was associated with fimbriae of 4–4.5 nm diameter. None of 14 strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis was haemagglutinating.     

Salmonella enteritidis fimbriae displaying a heterologous epitope reveal a uniquely flexible structure and assembly mechanism

Two distinct Salmonella fimbrins, AgfA and SefA, comprising thin aggregative fimbriae SEF17 and SEF14, respectively, were each genetically engineered to carry PT3, an alpha-helical 16-amino acid Leishmania T-cell epitope derived from the metalloprotease gp63. To identify regions within AgfA and SefA fimbrins amenable to replacement with this epitope, PCR-generated chimeric fimbrin genes were constructed and used to replace the native chromosomal agfA and sefA genes in Salmonella enteritidis. Immunoblot analysis using anti-SEF17 and anti-PT3 sera demonstrated that all ten AgfA chimeric fimbrin proteins were expressed by S. enteritidis under normal growth conditions. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed that eight of the AgfA::PT3 proteins were effectively assembled into cell surface-exposed fimbriae. The PT3 replacements in AgfA altered Congo red (CR) binding, cell-cell adhesion and cell surface properties of S. enteritidis to varying degrees. However, these chimeric fimbriae were still highly stable, being resistant to proteinase K digestion and requiring harsh formic acid treatment for depolymerization. In marked contrast to AgfA, none of the chimeric SefA proteins were expressed or assembled into fimbriae. Since each PT3 replacement constituted over 10% of the AgfA amino acid sequence and all ten replacements collectively represented greater than 75% of the entire AgfA primary sequence, the ability of AgfA to accept large sequence substitutions and still assemble into fibers is unique among fimbriae and other structural proteins. This structural flexibility may be related to the novel fivefold repeating sequence of AgfA and its recently proposed structure Proper formation of chimeric fimbrial fibers suggests an unusual assembly mechanism for thin aggregative fimbriae which tolerates aberrant structures. This study opens a range of possibilities for Salmonella thin aggregative fimbriae as a carrier of heterologous epitopes and as an experimental model for studies of protein structure.     

The variant rpoS allele of S. enteritidis strain 27655R does not affect virulence in a chick model nor constitutive curliation but does generate a cold-sensitive phenotype

Adherence of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. to host cells is in part mediated by curli fimbriae which, along with other virulence determinants, are positively regulated by RpoS. Interested in the role and regulation of curli (SEF17) fimbriae of Salmonella enteritidis in poultry infection, we tested the virulence of naturally occurring S. enteritidis PT4 strains 27655R and 27655S which displayed constitutive and null expression of curli (SEF17) fimbriae, respectively, in a chick invasion assay and analysed their rpoS alleles. Both strains were shown to be equally invasive and as invasive as a wild-type phage type 4 strain and an isogenic derivative defective for the elaboration of curli. We showed that the rpoS allele of 27655S was intact even though this strain was non-curliated and we confirmed that a S. enteritidis rpoS::str^r null mutant was unable to express curli, as anticipated. Strain 27655R, constitutively curliated, possessed a frameshift mutation at position 697 of the rpoS coding sequence which resulted in a truncated product and remained curliated even when transduced to rpoS::str^r. Additionally, rpoS mutants are known to be cold-sensitive, a phenotype confirmed for strain 27655R. Collectively, these data indicated that curliation was not a significant factor for pathogenesis of S. enteritidis in this model and that curliation of strains 27655R and 27655S was independent of RpoS. Significantly, strain 27655R possessed a defective rpoS allele and remained virulent. Here was evidence that supported the concept that different naturally occurring rpoS alleles may generate varying virulence phenotypic traits.     

SEF14菌毛基因操纵子在肠炎沙门氏菌和D-群沙门氏菌的变异分析

【目的】本文旨在探索SEF14菌毛特异性表达于D-群沙门氏菌,特别是肠炎沙门氏菌以及都柏林沙门氏菌的原因。【方法】应用PCR扩增以及序列测定检测了18株鸡白痢沙门氏菌,11株肠炎沙门氏菌以及1株都柏林沙门氏菌标准株中sefA,sefD和sefR基因序列,并分析比对其序列变异。【结果】以11株肠炎沙门氏菌以及1株都柏林沙门氏菌染色体DNA为模板能成功扩增sefA,sefD以及sefR基因;从18株鸡白痢沙门氏菌中均能成功扩增sefA基因,但只有分离于1980年之前的7株分离菌能成功扩增sefD和sefR基因,而另11株1980年后分离菌PCR扩增sefD和sefR基因却无任何产物。比对PCR扩增产物测序结果发现,11株肠炎沙门氏菌以及1株都柏林沙门氏菌株中sefA,sefD以及sefR基因序列和已发表的序列(GenBank登录号为L11008,U07129和AF233854)100%同源;7株鸡白痢沙门氏菌sefD基因测序结果表明,在196位点处发生碱基缺失,造成移码突变,提前于氨基酸残基71位点处产生终止密码子。优化菌毛表达条件,体外抽提和纯化菌毛并进一步试验证明:肠炎沙门氏菌以及都柏林沙门氏菌体外能很好表达SEF14菌毛,但鸡白痢沙门氏菌在相同培养条件下却无任何表达迹象。【结论】SEF14菌毛操纵子亚单位基因sefA,sefD以及调节基因sefR在不同沙门氏菌中的变异情况可能是SEF14菌毛局限性表达的原因之一。     

Antagonistic effects of intestinal Lactobacillus isolates on pathogens of chicken

L.Z. JIN, Y.W. HO, N. ABDULLAH, M.A. ALI AND S. JALALUDIN. 1996. Twelve Lactobacillus strains isolated from chicken intestine, which demonstrated a strong and moderate capacity to adhere to the ileal epithelial cells in vitro , were used to investigate their inhibitory ability against five strains of salmonella, i.e. Salmonella enteritidis 935/79, Salm. pullorum, Salm. typhimurium, Salm. blockley and Salm. enteritidis 94/448, and three serotypes of Escherichia coli , viz. E. coli O1 : K1, O2 : K1 and O78 : K80. The results showed that all the 12 Lactobacillus isolates were able to inhibit the growth of the five strains of salmonella, and the three strains of E. coli in varying degrees. Generally, they were more effective in inhibiting the growth of salmonella than E. coli . Inhibition of the pathogenic bacteria was probably due to the production of organic acids by the Lactobacillus isolates.     

Efficiency of different enrichment and isolation procedures for the detection of Salmonella serotypes in edible offal

Rapid detection systems for Salmonella in foodstuffs are currently being developed. However, existing standards still call for application of traditional methods employing pre-enrichment followed by selective enrichment and isolation. The efficacy of various methods was tested using 264 chicken and lamb organ meats. Pre-enrichment was carried out in Tryptone Soy Broth (TSB) and enrichment in Tetrathionate Brilliant Green Broth (TTB) at 37°C, Selenite Broth with Brilliant Green and Sulphapyridine at 37°C and 43°C, and Rappaport-Vassiliadis Broth (RV 10) at 42°C. The isolation media were Brilliant Green Agar (BGA), Deoxycholate Citrate Agar, Hektoen Enteric Agar (HEA) and Salmonella-Shigella Agar.
Enrichment in RV/42°C followed by isolation on BGA as recommended by ISO standard no. 6579 and enrichment in TTB/37°C followed by isolation in HEA, no longer recommended by that standard, produced the best results. Low percentages of positive samples and difficulties in detecting Salmonella are the result of interference by competing organisms (Enterobacteriaceae) and the number of salmonellas present after enrichment.
A total of 528 samples (TSB, eggs, lamb liver and chicken liver) were inoculated with Salm. enteritidis, Salm. kapemba and Salm. virchow , and the preceding experiment was repeated. All the TSB and egg samples tested positive, but the percentage of positive samples from the lamb and chicken liver was only 81–92%. Recovery of the salmonellas did not depend upon the method employed or the serotype inoculated but instead on interference by competing flora and the numbers of Salmonella present in the samples.     

Cross-infection of chicks by airborne transmission of Salmonella enteritidis PT4

M.S. LEVER AND A. WILLIAMS. 1996. Airborne cross-infection by Salmonella enteritidis PT4 strains was demonstrated between sets of orally infected 1-d-old chicks and identical uninfected control chicks. Low numbers of Salm. enteritidis were detected in the air of the rooms housing the chicks. Sentinel mice within the rooms did not become infected. This study demonstrates that low levels of airborne Salm. enteritidis are a potential source of cross-infection in poultry houses.     

Expression of antigenically distinct fimbriae with hemagglutination and HeLa cell adherence properties by an enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strain belonging to the enteropathogenic serogroup

Abstract An enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strain (DS92), isolated from a case of infantile diarrhea, was shown to express mannose-resistant hemagglutination and HeLa cell adhering properties when grown at 37°C but not at 28°C. Cellular adherence properties of DS92, which belonged to enteropathogeci serogroup 0125, were shown to correlate well with the expression of fimbriae that were encoded by a 112 kb plasmid. The fimbriae of the EAggEC strain DS92 were composed of 20 kDa subunit proteins and were serologically distinct from fimbrial or non-fimbrial cell surface antigen(s) of other diarrheagenic E. coli strains including the reference EAggEC strain 17-2. Interestingly, the 20-kDa fimbrial protein was found to be antigenically related to 18- and 14.5-kDa cell surface proteins of two other locally isolated EAggEC strains belonging to the enteropathogenic serogroup 086.     

Mycotoxin production by some wood-associated Penicillium spp.

Twenty-five strains of Penicillium spp. isolated from mould-infected discoloured outdoor softwood were analysed for mycotoxin production. Patulin was found to be produced by Penicillium expansion at 4° and 20°C incubation when cultured on wood blocks and wood chips. One strain of P. nordicum (not wood-associated) produced ochratoxin A when cultured on wood chips.     

Serum survival and plasmid possession by strains of Salmonella enteritidis, Salm. typhimurium and Salm. virchow

Strains of Salmonella enteritidis, Salm. typhimurium and Salm. virchow , carrying different numbers of plasmids, were examined for the ability to multiply in sera. Viable counts were performed to monitor the kinetics of growth of bacteria when in human, chicken and turkey sera. The presence of plasmids in Salm. enteritidis, Salm. typhimurium and Salm. virchow reduced considerably the ability of strains of these serotypes to multiply in serum. SDS-PAGE was used to show that growth of Salm. enteritidis in serum did not involve changes in outer membrane proteins or lipopolysaccharide. It was concluded that the carriage of plasmids may be disadvantageous for the survival in serum of certain common salmonella serotypes.     

Formation of viable but nonculturable Salmonella during starvation in chemically defined solutions

Salmonella enteritidis enters a viable-but-nonculturable state when exposed to starvation in aquatic environments. This study determined starvation survival of this pathogen in chemically defined solutions and tested the ability of nonselective enrichment to detect viable-but-nonculturable cells. Starvation of Salm. enteritidis at 7°C in 7.35 mmol 1^-1 potassium phosphate buffer resulted in complete loss of culturability after 5 weeks with maintenance of a substrate-responsive population of over 10000 cell ml^-1. Starvation at 21°C and starvation in saline solutions or lower concentrations of phosphate buffer resulted in prolonged survival of a culturable population although this population was lower than the total viable population. Enrichment using lactose broth did not allow resuscitation of viable-but-nonculturable cells even after 5 d of incubation at 35°C.     

Adherence and pathogenesis of Salmonella enteritidis in mice

Adherence of many pathogenic organisms to the host cells has been associated with the presence of fimbriae. The exact role of these organelles in the adherence and pathogenesis of Salmonella enteritidis is not well established. Utilizing hemagglutination tests, S. enteritidis was shown to possess type 1 and type 3 fimbriae. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the isolated fimbriae showed that type 1 and 3 fimbriae of S. enteritidis had subunit M.r of 17 and 22 kDa, respectively. In vitro adherence assays suggested that S. enteritidis utilized type 1 fimbriae to adhere to human buccal and mouse small intestine epithelial cells. In addition, antibody produced against type 1 and type 3 fimbriae protected the mice from infection with a lethal dose of S. enteritidis. These results suggest that type 1 and possibly type 3 fimbriae are involved in the adherence and pathogenesis of S. enteritidis. The data further suggest that they may have a role in the adherence and pathogenesis of the other enteric organisms.