Arcobacter butzleri Strains Isolated from Different Sources Display Adhesive Capacity to Epithelial Cells In Vitro
Fernández, HeribertoFlores, SandraInzunza, Fernanda
Background: The genus Arcobacter, belonging to the family Campylobacteraceae, includes polar flagellated, curved or spiral rod shaped bacteria firstly described as Vibrio/Spirillum organisms and later as aerotolerant Campylobacter-like microorganisms. Currently, this genus comprises nine validated species and a candidatus. Among Arcobacter species, Arcobacter butzleri is recognized as a zoonotic agent and the most common species of the genus isolated from environmental water, food and clinical samples. Recently, this species was considered a serious hazard to human health. However, their pathological properties, potential virulence factors as well as their clinical significance remain uncertain or not completely defined. The aim of this study was to establish the ability of 78 A. butzleri strains isolated from different sources to adhere to HEp-2 cells in vitro. Materials, Methods & Results: All the strains were isolated using first an enrichment medium incubated aerobically at 26ºC for 48h. After that, 100 μL of the broth were streaked onto Arcobacter selective agar plates and incubated at 26°C for 72h. All the strains were identified phenotypically using standard assays. Definitive identification was achieved using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Adhesive capacity was determined infecting HEp-2 cells with the strains under study following Skaletsky et al. protocol, with slight modifications. An adherent Escherichia coli isolate was included as a positive control, whereas uninoculated cell lines were used as negative controls. Adhesion results were expressed as the percentage of HEp-2 cells showing adhering bacteria and the number of bacteria (± SD) adhered to cells was determined. Strains were considered as adherent, if at least 20% of HEp-2 cells showed one ore more adhered bacteria.(...)
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