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Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 12185

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Dr. Agata Bancerz-Kisiel

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Department of Epizootiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 13, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: infectious diseases of farm animals; zoonoses; microbiology and molecular epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis are an etiological agents of yersiniosis—a zoonotic disease of growing epidemiological importance and significant consequences for public health. The presence of these bacteria has been observed in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis strains have been isolated from humans, as well as from various domestic, companion, and free-living animals. Commonly, pigs are considered a main reservoir of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis strains, although other animal species are increasingly being identified as a source of infection to humans.

This Special Issue of Pathogens is focused on all aspects of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis infections in humans and animals: new insights into pathogenesis, epidemiological studies, new reservoirs, outbreaks, methods of detection and characterization of the isolates, antimicrobial resistance, etc. We hope that you will spare some of your valuable time and submit original research manuscripts or reviews related to these issues. Kindly accept our invitation and confirm your participation in this Special Issue of Pathogens dedicated to Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis—zoonotic pathogens of relevance to public health.

Dr. Agata Bancerz-Kisiel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Yersinia enterocolitica
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
zoonoses
public health
zoonotic pathogens

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enteropathogenic Yersinia with Public Health Relevance Found in Dogs and Cats in Finland

by Maria Fredriksson-Ahomaa, Thomas Grönthal, Viivi Heljanko, Venla Johansson, Merja Rantala, Annamari Heikinheimo and Riikka Laukkanen-Ninios

Pathogens 2024, 13(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010054 - 05 Jan 2024

Viewed by 918

Abstract

Yersiniosis is a common zoonotic enteric disease among humans, which has been linked to pigs and contaminated food, especially pork. The epidemiology of yersiniosis is still obscure, and studies on yersiniosis in pets are very scarce. In this study, we performed pheno- and genotypic characterisation of 50 Yersinia strains isolated from pets in Finland between 2012 and 2023. Y. enterocolitica 4/O:3/ST135, the most common type in human yersiniosis, was also the most common type (68%) found in clinical faecal samples in our study. Also, human pathogenic Y. enterocolitica 2/O:9/ST139 and Y. pseudotuberculosis O:1/ST9 and O:1/ST42 strains carrying all essential pathogenic genes were identified. Three Y. enterocolitica 4/O:3/ST9 strains were multi-drug-resistant and two of them were highly related, showing one allelic difference (AD) with core genome multi-locus sequence typing. Non-pathogenic, genotypically highly diverse Y. enterocolitica 1A strains, showing more than 1000 ADs and missing the essential virulence genes, were also recognised in dogs and cats. Our study demonstrates that pets can excrete human pathogenic Yersinia in their faeces and may serve as an infection source for human yersiniosis, especially in families with small children in close contact with their pets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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14 pages, 1753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of MgtC on the Fitness of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

by Peng Li, Hengtai Wang, Wei Sun and Jiabo Ding

Pathogens 2023, 12(12), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12121428 - 08 Dec 2023

Viewed by 929

Abstract

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is an extracellular foodborne pathogen and usually causes self-limiting diarrhea in healthy humans. MgtC is known as a key subversion factor that contributes to intramacrophage adaptation and intracellular survival in certain important pathogens. Whether MgtC influences the fitness of Y. pseudotuberculosis is unclear. According to in silico analysis, MgtC in Y. pseudotuberculosis might share similar functions with other bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella. Studies indicated that MgtC was clearly required for Y. pseudotuberculosis growth in vitro and bacterial survival in macrophages under Mg²⁺ starvation. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-seq indicated that 127 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (fold change > 2 and p < 0.001) were discovered between wild-type PB1+ and mgtC mutant inside macrophages. However, a lack of MgtC only moderately, albeit significantly, reduced the virulence of Y. pseudotuberculosis in mice. Overall, this study provides additional insights for the role of MgtC in Y. pseudotuberculosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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9 pages, 419 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Higher Resistance of Yersinia enterocolitica in Comparison to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis to Antibiotics and Cinnamon, Oregano and Thyme Essential Oils

by Radka Hulankova

Pathogens 2022, 11(12), 1456; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11121456 - 01 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

Yersiniosis is an important zoonotic disease; however, data are scarce on the resistance of enteropathogenic yersiniae, especially that of Y. pseudotuberculosis. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 21 antibiotics and 3 essential oils (EOs) were determined by broth microdilution for Y. enterocolitica bioserotype 4/O:3 strains isolated from domestic swine (n = 132) and Y. pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from wild boars (n = 46). For 15 of 21 antibiotics, statistically significant differences were found between MIC values of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis. While Y. enterocolitica was more resistant to amoxiclav, ampicillin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, gentamicin, imipenem, meropenem, tetracycline, tobramycin, and trimethoprim, Y. pseudotuberculosis was more resistant to cefepime, ceftazidime, colistin, erythromycin, and nitrofurantoin. Statistically significant differences were found between various essential oils (p < 0.001) and species (p < 0.001). The lowest MICs for multiresistant Y. enterocolitica (n = 12) and Y. pseudotuberculosis (n = 12) were obtained for cinnamon (median 414 and 207 μg/mL, respectively) and oregano EOs (median 379 and 284 μg/mL), whereas thyme EO showed significantly higher MIC values (median 738 and 553 μg/mL; p < 0.001). There was no difference between Y. enterocolitica strains of plant (1A) and animal (4/O:3) origin (p = 0.855). The results show that Y. enterocolitica is generally more resistant to antimicrobials than Y. pseudotuberculosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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6 pages, 416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cold Enrichment Methods for the Detection of Foodborne Yersiniosis: Friend or Foe?

by Yuwei Zhang and Stephen L. W. On

Pathogens 2022, 11(2), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11020278 - 21 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2214

Abstract

Yersinia enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis are important causes of enteric illness worldwide. Rapid response to suspected foodborne outbreaks is hampered by the widespread use of cold enrichment methods that require incubation periods of 10–21 days. Although these species grow faster at elevated temperatures, part of the rationale for cold enrichment is that a key pathogenicity marker (pYV virulence plasmid) is said to be lost at elevated temperatures. Experimental data on this claim seems scarce. We previously described an approach involving an enrichment step at 37 °C for Yersinia detection, applied this approach to additional strains, and examined the presence of plasmids in reisolates, as well as those recovered in our original study. Plasmids were recovered from every reisolate examined; the presence of marker genes yadA and virF denoted the virulence plasmid in 10 of the 11 strains examined. Use of an enrichment step at 37 °C does not appear to promote loss of the pYV or other plasmids harboured by foodborne pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis; wider adoption of this approach may assist the development of more rapid detection methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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12 pages, 1100 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Occurrence and Genetic Correlations of Yersinia spp. Isolated from Commensal Rodents in Northeastern Poland

by Aleksandra Platt-Samoraj, Klaudia Kończyk-Kmiecik and Tadeusz Bakuła

Pathogens 2021, 10(10), 1247; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10101247 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1530

Abstract

Rodents can be a potential Yersinia spp. vector responsible for farm facilities contamination. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of Yersinia spp. in commensal rodents found in the farms and fodder factory areas to characterize the obtained isolates and epidemiological risk. Intestinal samples were subjected to bacteriological, bioserotype, and PCR examination for virulence markers ail, ystA, ystB, and inv presence. Yersinia spp. was isolated from 43 out of 244 (17.6%) rodents (Apodemus agrarius n = 132, Mus musculus n = 102, Apodemus sylvaticus n = 8, Rattus norvegicus n = 2). Y. enterocolitica was isolated from 41 rodents (16.8%), and from one Y. pseudotuberculosis and one Y. kristensenii. In three cases, two Y. enterocolitica isolates were obtained from one rodent. All Y. enetrocolitica contained ystB and belonged to biotype 1A, considered as potentially pathogenic. One isolate additionally had the ail gene typical for pathogenic strains. The sequence analysis of the ystB, ail, and inv fragments showed a high similarity to those from clinical cases. The current study revealed a high prevalence of Y. enetrocolitica among commensal rodents, but the classification of all of Y. enterocolitica isolates into biotype 1A and the sporadic isolation of Y. pseudotuberculosis do not indicate a high epidemiological risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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10 pages, 1127 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Correlation between the mRNA Expression Levels of ystA and ymoA Genes in Y. enterocolitica Strains with Different Enterotoxic Properties

by Agata Bancerz-Kisiel and Karolina Lipczyńska-Ilczuk

Pathogens 2021, 10(9), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10091136 - 03 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1810

Abstract

Yersinia enterocolitica is one of the main causative agents of human diarrhea. Pigs are a reservoir and the most common source of infection for humans. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of ystA and ymoA genes in Y. enterocolitica strains with different enterotoxic properties, isolated from humans and pigs. The experiment involved two groups of Y. enterocolitica strains producing and not producing enterotoxin YstA, which were isolated from humans and pigs. All strains were ystA- and ymoA-positive. The expression of ystA and ymoA genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The relative expression level of the ystA gene was significantly higher than the expression level of the ymoA gene in Y. enterocolitica strains isolated from humans with clinical symptoms of yersiniosis. In other strains, a significant decrease in ystA gene transcription was observed, and the relative expression level of the ymoA gene was significantly higher than the expression level of the ystA gene. Statistically significant differences were not observed in either group of strains isolated from pigs. The results of our study revealed a correlation between mRNA expression levels of ystA and ymoA genes in Y. enterocolitica strains isolated from humans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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14 pages, 2066 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Evidence of Extensive Circulation of Yersinia enterocolitica in Rodents and Shrews in Natural Habitats from Retrospective and Perspective Studies in South Caucasus

by Tata Imnadze, Lile Malania, Neli Chakvetadze, Irma Burjanadze, Natalia Abazashvili, Ekaterine Zhgenti, Ketevan Sidamonidze, Ekaterine Khmaladze, Vakhtang Martashvili, Nikoloz Tsertsvadze, Paata Imnadze, Andrei Kandaurov, Ryan J. Arner, Vladimir Motin and Michael Kosoy

Pathogens 2021, 10(8), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10080939 - 26 Jul 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2015

Abstract

Yersinia enterocolitica culture-positive rodents and shrews were reported in different territories across Georgia during 14 of 17 years of investigations conducted for the period of 1981–1997. In total, Y. enterocolitica was isolated from 2052 rodents (15 species) and 33 shrews. Most isolates were obtained from Microtus arvalis, Rattus norvegicus, Mus musculus, and Apodemus spp. During the prospective study (2017−2019), isolates of Yersinia-like bacteria were cultured from 53 rodents collected in four parts of Georgia. All the Yersinia-like isolates were confirmed as Y. enterocolitica based on the API 20E and the BD Phenix50 tests. Whole-genome (WG) sequencing of five rodents and one shrew strain of Y. enterocolitica revealed that they possessed a set of virulence genes characteristic of the potentially pathogenic strains of biogroup 1A. All isolates lacked distinguished virulence determinants for YstA, Ail, TccC, VirF, and virulence plasmid pYV but carried the genes for YstB, YmoA, HemPR-HmuVSTU, YaxAB, PhlA, PldA, ArsCBR, and a flagellar apparatus. One strain contained a gene highly homologous to heat-labile enterotoxin, a chain of E. coli, a function not previously described for Y. enterocolitica. The WG single-nucleotide polymorphism-based typing placed the isolates in four distinct phylogenetic clusters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis—Zoonotic Pathogens of Relevance to Public Health)

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