Molecular Typing of Cronobacter Strains from Food in China by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Sequence PCR (ERIC‐PCR) and Sequence Analysis of the gyrB Gene. Issue 4 (22nd October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Wanyi; Ai, Lianzhong; Yang, Jielin; Ren, Jing; Li, Yunfei; Guo, Benheng
• Is Part Of: Journal of food safety. Volume 33:Issue 4(2013:Oct.)
• Page Start: 405
• Page End: 412
• Publication Date: 2013-10-22
• Subjects: Food adulteration and inspection -- Periodicals; Food contamination -- Periodicals; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food -- Microbiology -- Periodicals; Pathogenic bacteria -- Periodicals; Food handling -- Periodicals; Food preservatives -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1111/jfs.12068
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-6085

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="jfs12068-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <p>The occurrence of outbreaks of <italic>Cronobacter</italic> strains causing necrotizing meningitis in China highlights the need for strain characterization and subtyping of this pathogenic species. A total of 43 <italic>Cronobacter</italic> isolates and five Enterobacteriaceae strains were used in this study. The strains were characterized using two molecular typing methods, including enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence polymerase chain reaction (ERIC‐PCR) and sequence analysis of the <italic>gyrB</italic> gene. Genetic profiles of cluster analysis from these two molecular typing tests clearly showed that there was no close relationship between <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. and Enterobacteriaceae strains. Discriminatory index of ERIC‐PCR typing for the 43 <italic>Cronobacter</italic> isolates and five Enterobacteriaceae strains was high (D = 0.984) by Simpson's index of diversity based on the similarity value of more than 80% using BioNumerics version 5.0. Sequence analysis of the <italic>gyrB</italic> gene was proven to be suitable for the phylogenetic analysis of the <italic>Cronobacter</italic> strains. These results demonstrate that ERIC‐PCR combined with sequence analysis of the <italic>gyrB</italic> gene may be a reliable, rapid typing strategy for <italic>Cronobacter</italic> strains.</p> </sec> <sec id="jfs12068-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Practical Applications</title> <p>Molecular typing of foodborne pathogenic bacteria has been shown as a useful tool for tracking the source of infection and detection of virulent strains, as well as for determining the geographical and host distribution of possible variants. ERIC‐PCR provides rapid clustered results when a large number of <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. isolates need to be subtyped rapidly. Furthermore, partial sequence analysis of the <italic>gyrB</italic> gene was utilized to differentiate among the closely related isolates. The results of the current study suggest that ERIC‐PCR in conjunction with the <italic>gyrB</italic> sequence analysis would provide a reliable and accurate typing strategy for <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. strains. This combination of techniques can be used as a rapid means of comparing <italic>Cronobacter</italic> spp. isolates for epidemiological investigations.</p> </sec> </abstract>