Project description:Lactococcus garvieae is the etiological agent of lactococcosis, a hemorrhagic septicaemia that affects marine and freshwater fish, with special incidence and economic relevance in farmed rainbow trout and with potential zoonotic risks. To characterize the trout immune response at the transcriptomic level on those individuals with clinical signs of lactococcosis, we have performed a microarray analysis using a previously validated immune-focused gene design. The analysis of the transcriptome of spleen and kidney reveals a different pattern of transcription between both immune organs. A correlation between the histopathological examination and the expression patterns of gene sets characterizing immune cell populations was observed for the first time in the spleen. Up-regulation of gene sets key to NK cells, cytotoxic T cells, Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes and macrophages correlated with the inflammatory process and the existence of granulomes containing a high number of macrophages with internalized L. garvieae. On the other hand, cell wall peptidoglican seems to be an important antigen able to induce a complex network of pathways, cytokine production and responses in the host.
Project description:This report describes the morphological characterization and genome analysis of an induced prophage (PLg-TB25) from a dairy strain of Lactococcus garvieae. The phage belongs to the Siphoviridae family and its morphology is typical of other lactococcal phages. A general analysis of its genome did not reveal similarities with other lactococcal phage genomes, confirming its novelty. However, similarities were found between genes of its morphogenesis cluster and genes of Gram-positive bacteria, suggesting that this phage genome resulted from recombination events that took place in a heterogeneous microbial environment. An in silico search for other prophages in 16 L. garvieae genomes available in public databases, uncovered eight seemingly complete prophages in strains isolated from dairy and fish niches. Genome analyses of these prophages revealed three novel L. garvieae phages. The remaining prophages had homology to phages of Lactococcus lactis (P335 group) suggesting a close relationship between these lactococcal species. The similarity in GC content of L. garvieae prophages to the genomes of L. lactis phages further supports the hypothesis that these phages likely originated from the same ancestor.
Project description:Lactococcus garvieae junior synonym Enterococcus seriolicida) is an emerging zoonotic agent isolated from economically important fish (rainbow trout and yellowtail), from cattle, and from humans. Clindamycin susceptibility is the only phenotypic test which can differentiate L. garvieae from Lactococcus lactis, another emerging agent in humans. A PCR assay for the identification of L. garvieae was developed and resulted in an amplified fragment of 1,100 bp in size. The PCR assay was shown to be specific to L. garvieae. The PCR assay was positive for all the L. garvieae strains tested, which originated from three different continents (Asia, Australia, and Europe). The PCR assay was negative for the phenotypically similar L. lactis and for all the other fish pathogens tested, including Streptococcus iniae and Aeromonas salmonicida. The PCR assay was applied to plasma obtained from diseased animals and was found sensitive enough to detect bacteria from 1 microl of plasma. The PCR assay that was developed is the only practical test besides the clindamycin test which can specifically identify the zoonotic agent L. garvieae and which can differentiate it from L. lactis.
Project description:Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important pathogen of pigs, and the disease it causes is characterized by meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia with high mortality. The pathogen is also an emerging zoonotic agent and threatens humans that are exposed to pigs or their by-products. We investigated the response of PBMC (Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell), brain and lung tissues to infection with S. suis 2 strain SC19 by using the Affymetrix Porcine Genome Array.
Project description:Lactococcus garvieae is a fish pathogen and an emerging zoonotic opportunistic pathogen as well as a component of natural microbiota in dairy products. Here, we present the first report of a genome sequence of L. garvieae TB25, isolated from a dairy source, and that of L. garvieae LG9, isolated from rainbow trout.