Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes

<i>V. lutrae</i> is an emerging human pathogen attributed to increasing hospitalization cases in humans; however, its biology and epidemiology are under-explored. The present study explored <i>V. lutrae</i> recovery, prevalence, and biology. A two-step enrichment method (i.e....

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Main Authors: Elizabeth F. Scruggs, Zaria Gulley, Guadalupe Steele, Mohammed Alahmadi, Asim Barnawi, Hussain Majrshi, Hung King Tiong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Applied Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8007/4/4/99
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author Elizabeth F. Scruggs
Zaria Gulley
Guadalupe Steele
Mohammed Alahmadi
Asim Barnawi
Hussain Majrshi
Hung King Tiong
author_facet Elizabeth F. Scruggs
Zaria Gulley
Guadalupe Steele
Mohammed Alahmadi
Asim Barnawi
Hussain Majrshi
Hung King Tiong
author_sort Elizabeth F. Scruggs
collection DOAJ
description <i>V. lutrae</i> is an emerging human pathogen attributed to increasing hospitalization cases in humans; however, its biology and epidemiology are under-explored. The present study explored <i>V. lutrae</i> recovery, prevalence, and biology. A two-step enrichment method (i.e., step 1, nourishment; step 2, heat, 80 °C, 20 min) and thiosulfate–citrate–bile salts–sucrose (TCBS) agar were employed for recovering <i>V. lutrae</i> in raw seafood. Bacterial colonies were streaked for purification before 16S rRNA bacterial identification. Confirmed <i>V. lutrae</i> isolates were analyzed for their culture-challenged turbidity and virulence. Of 41 bacterial isolates, 9 confirmed <i>V. lutrae</i>, including regular (33%; nourished 24 h) and heat-resistant (67%; nourished 48 h plus heating) isolates, were exclusively from yellow colonies (i.e., TCBS) and were exclusively recovered from nourished shrimp (78%) and crab (22%) only. The culture and virulence biology revealed that they could diversely tolerate salinity (i.e., 0–17.5% additional NaCl), pasteurization (63 °C, 8 h), oxygen availability, and antibiotic sensitivity (i.e., erythromycin, gentamicin, and vancomycin). Further, this pathogen exhibited no visible hemolytic and alkalization activities. Emerging foodborne pathogens could readily evade the established food safety regime. The present study reveals systematic investigation and diverse phenotypes of <i>V. lutrae</i> to enhance its detection and contribute to public health initiatives.
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spelling doaj-art-4c98e7dac84446e19a6afccaa885ac782025-08-20T02:55:31ZengMDPI AGApplied Microbiology2673-80072024-10-01441434145210.3390/applmicrobiol4040099Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification PhenotypesElizabeth F. Scruggs0Zaria Gulley1Guadalupe Steele2Mohammed Alahmadi3Asim Barnawi4Hussain Majrshi5Hung King Tiong6Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USAClinical Laboratory, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville, AL 35801, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USA<i>V. lutrae</i> is an emerging human pathogen attributed to increasing hospitalization cases in humans; however, its biology and epidemiology are under-explored. The present study explored <i>V. lutrae</i> recovery, prevalence, and biology. A two-step enrichment method (i.e., step 1, nourishment; step 2, heat, 80 °C, 20 min) and thiosulfate–citrate–bile salts–sucrose (TCBS) agar were employed for recovering <i>V. lutrae</i> in raw seafood. Bacterial colonies were streaked for purification before 16S rRNA bacterial identification. Confirmed <i>V. lutrae</i> isolates were analyzed for their culture-challenged turbidity and virulence. Of 41 bacterial isolates, 9 confirmed <i>V. lutrae</i>, including regular (33%; nourished 24 h) and heat-resistant (67%; nourished 48 h plus heating) isolates, were exclusively from yellow colonies (i.e., TCBS) and were exclusively recovered from nourished shrimp (78%) and crab (22%) only. The culture and virulence biology revealed that they could diversely tolerate salinity (i.e., 0–17.5% additional NaCl), pasteurization (63 °C, 8 h), oxygen availability, and antibiotic sensitivity (i.e., erythromycin, gentamicin, and vancomycin). Further, this pathogen exhibited no visible hemolytic and alkalization activities. Emerging foodborne pathogens could readily evade the established food safety regime. The present study reveals systematic investigation and diverse phenotypes of <i>V. lutrae</i> to enhance its detection and contribute to public health initiatives.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8007/4/4/99<i>Vagococcus lutrae</i>emerging seafood-borne pathogenviable-but-nonculturable (VBNC)contaminationsalinitythermal resistance
spellingShingle Elizabeth F. Scruggs
Zaria Gulley
Guadalupe Steele
Mohammed Alahmadi
Asim Barnawi
Hussain Majrshi
Hung King Tiong
Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
Applied Microbiology
<i>Vagococcus lutrae</i>
emerging seafood-borne pathogen
viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC)
contamination
salinity
thermal resistance
title Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
title_full Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
title_fullStr Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
title_full_unstemmed Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
title_short Recovery of Pasteurization-Resistant <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i> from Raw Seafoods Using a Two-Step Enrichment, Its Presumptive Prevalence, and Novel Classification Phenotypes
title_sort recovery of pasteurization resistant i vagococcus lutrae i from raw seafoods using a two step enrichment its presumptive prevalence and novel classification phenotypes
topic <i>Vagococcus lutrae</i>
emerging seafood-borne pathogen
viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC)
contamination
salinity
thermal resistance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8007/4/4/99
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