Typing of Yersinia frederiksenii strains isolated from various sources by molecular methods

• Grant number: 09/10084-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2009
• End date: October 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Pfrimer Falcão
• Grantee: Priscilla Fernanda Martins Imori
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Yersinia belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae and comprises 12 species: Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis are pathogenic to humans and animals. Y. aldovae, Y. bercovieri, Y. frederiksenii, Y. intermedia, Y. kristensenii, Y. aleksiciae, Y. mollaretti and Y. rhodei have been usually found in the environment and in food and are considered non-pathogenic. Y. ruckeri is an important fish pathogen. Specifically, Y. frederiksenii have not been extensevely studied mainly due the fact that it is not considered to be pathogenic, since this species doesn't have the classical virulence markers. However, some data suggest that this species can cause disease. The isolation and study of Yersinia spp. have not been frequent in Brazil, so there are few epidemiological data of this bacterium in the country. Genotypic studies have been used for identification, characterization, epidemiology and taxonomy of bacteria, including Yersinia spp. and have been replacing the traditional phenotypic typing tests. Many genotypic methods have good or excellent discriminatory power, such as the technique of Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), which was proposed to be the "gold standard" for typing yersiniae and has been provided consistant data for epidemiological studies. The aims of this project are to type 53 representative strains of Y. frederiksenii isolated from different sources in Brazil and Argentina by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC-PCR), PFGE and partial sequencing of the glnA gene. In this way, this study will contribute for a better characterization of this species regarding its diversity.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SOUZA, ROBERTO A.; IMORI, PRISCILLA F. M.; FALCAO, JULIANA P.. Multilocus sequence analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveal that Yersinia frederiksenii genospecies 2 is Yersinia massiliensis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY, v. 63, n. 8, p. 3124-3129, AUG 2013. (09/08455-1, 09/10084-1)

SOUZA, ROBERTO A.; IMORI, PRISCILLA F. M.; FALCAO, JULIANA P.. Multilocus sequence analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveal that Yersinia frederiksenii genospecies 2 is Yersinia massiliensis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY, v. 63, p. 6-pg., 2013-08-01. (09/10084-1, 09/08455-1)