Case reportIdentification of Arcobacter cryaerophilus isolated from a traffic accident victim with bacteremia by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing
Introduction
Identification of bacteria in the clinical microbiology laboratory is traditionally performed by isolation of the organism and studying it phenotypically by elucidation of its Gram-staining, cultural, and biochemical characteristics, which have been the gold standard of bacterial identification. However, these methods of bacterial identification have a few major drawbacks. First, they cannot be used for non-cultivable organisms. Second, we are occasionally faced with organisms with biochemical characteristics that do not fit into patterns of any known genus and species. Third, identification of slow growing organisms would be extremely slow and difficult.
Since the discovery of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing, comparison of the gene sequences of bacterial species showed that the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene is highly conserved within a species and among species of the same genus, and hence can be used as the new gold standard for speciation of bacteria. Using this new standard, phylogenetic trees, based on base differences between species, are constructed; and bacteria are classified and re-classified into new genera Olsen et al 1992, Olsen and Woese 1993. Furthermore, non-cultivable organisms and organisms with ambiguous biochemical profiles can be classified and identified Relman et al 1990, Relman et al 1992. Recently, we have reported the application of 16S rRNA gene sequencing in the identification of two clinical isolates with ambiguous biochemical profiles Woo et al 2000a, Woo et al 2000b, and a bacterium that was non-cultivable (Cheuk et al., 2000). In this study, we report the application of such a technique in the identification of a strain of Arcobacter cryaerophilus which grew very slowly.
Section snippets
Case report
A 7-year old boy was admitted to hospital because of suffocation after falling into a mud pool while he was driving a mini-motor cycle. The past health was good and he was well before the traffic accident. After initial cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the rectal temperature was 34.8°C. The hemoglobin was 13.2 g/dL, total white cell count 8.9 × 109/L, with neutrophil 1.8 × 109/L and lymphocyte 7.0 × 109/L, and platelet count 357 × 109/L. Blood culture was performed and empiric intravenous
Discussion
Small rRNA gene sequencing, particularly 16S rRNA sequencing in bacteria, have led to advances on multiple fronts in microbiology. First, the construction of a universal phylogenetic tree classifies organisms into 3 domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya Olsen et al 1992, Olsen and Woese 1993. Second, it revolutionizes the classification of microorganisms, and makes the classification of non-cultivable microorganisms possible Relman et al 1990, Relman et al 1992. Third, it helps to
Acknowledgements
This work was partly supported by the Committee of Research and Conference Grants, The University of Hong Kong.
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2016, Food MicrobiologyCitation Excerpt :Arcobacter is a bacterial genus of Gram-negative, slightly curved rods, positive for oxidase and usually motile, found both in animal and environmental sources (González and Ferrús, 2011; Tabatabaei et al., 2014). This genus currently encompasses 22 species (Levican et al., , 2015; Nieva-Echevarría et al., 2013; Whiteduck-Léveillée et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2015), some of which have been associated with human and animal illnesses: Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacter cryaerophilus have been associated with diarrhea and enterocholitis and occasionally with bacteriemia, endocarditis, and peritonitis (Collado and Figueras, 2011; Figueras et al., 2014; Hsueh et al., 1997; Kayman et al., 2012; Lau et al., 2002; Lerner et al., 1994; McGregor and Wright, 2015; On et al., 1995; Woo et al., 2001; Yan et al., 2000). Moreover, A. butzleri is the species recognised as the etiological agent of traveller's diarrhea (Jiang et al., 2010).
Gene amplification and sequencing for bacterial identification
2015, Methods in MicrobiologyA severe case of persistent diarrhoea associated with arcobacter cryaerophilus but attributed to campylobacter sp. and a review of the clinical incidence of Arcobacter spp.
2014, New Microbes and New InfectionsCitation Excerpt :Bacteria of the genus Arcobacter, which was created with aerotolerant species previously included in the genus Campylobacter, are considered emergent enteropathogens and potential zoonotic agents [1]. The genus currently includes 17 species and some of these species produce abortions, mastitis and gastrointestinal disorders in animals [2–5] and bacteraemia, endocarditis, peritonitis and diarrhoea in humans [6–12]. So far there have been very few human diarrhoea cases reported despite it having been found that Arcobacter butzleri was the fourth most common Campylobacter-like organism isolated from human stools [1,13,14].
Prevalence of Arcobacter species on chicken carcasses during processing in Iran
2012, Journal of Applied Poultry ResearchCitation Excerpt :Arcobacter butzleri is the most common Arcobacter species associated with human diseases such as enteritis, severe diarrhea, septicemia, and bacteremia [9, 12, 13]. Arcobacter cryaerophilus has also been reported to cause human infection [14]. Like Campylobacter, Arcobacter species have been indicated as foodborne microorganisms because they have been detected in foods of animal origin, especially in chicken products from throughout the world [5, 9, 15–17].