Characterization of a multidrug resistant C. difficile meat isolate

Shankumar Mooyottu, Genevieve Flock, Anup Kollanoor-Johny, Indu Upadhyaya, Bhushan Jayarao, Kumar Venkitanarayanan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is a pathogen of significant public health concern causing a life-threatening, toxin-mediated enteric disease in humans. The incidence and severity of the disease associated with C. difficile have increased in the US with the emergence of hypervirulent strains and community associated outbreaks. The detection of genotypically similar and identical C. difficile strains implicated from human infections in foods and food animals indicates the potential role of food as a source of community associated C. difficile disease. One hundred samples each of ground beef, pork and chicken obtained from geographically distant grocery stores in Connecticut were tested for C. difficile. Positive isolates were characterized by ribotyping, antibiotic susceptibility, toxin production and whole genome sequencing. Of the 300 meat samples, only two pork samples tested positive for C. difficile indicating a very low prevalence of C. difficile in meat. The isolates were non toxigenic; however, genome characterization revealed the presence of several antibiotic resistance genes and mobile elements that can potentially contribute to generation of multidrug resistant toxigenic C. difficile by horizontal gene transfer. Further studies are warranted to investigate potential food-borne transmission of the meat isolates and development of multi-drug resistance in these strains.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)111-116
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Food Microbiology
Volume192
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • C. difficile
  • Connecticut
  • Foodborne
  • Multidrug resistant
  • Prevalence

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization of a multidrug resistant C. difficile meat isolate'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this