Age-Dependent Variations in the Distribution of <i>Aeromonas</i> Species in Human Enteric Infections

<i>Aeromonas</i> species are enteropathogens that cause gastroenteritis with a unique three-peak infection pattern related to patient age. The contributions of individual <i>Aeromonas</i> species to age-related infections remain unknown. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adhiraj Singh, Fang Liu, Christopher Yuwono, Michael C. Wehrhahn, Eve Slavich, Alexandra M. Young, Sarah K. T. Chong, Alfred Chin Yen Tay, Stephen M. Riordan, Li Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/2/120
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Summary:<i>Aeromonas</i> species are enteropathogens that cause gastroenteritis with a unique three-peak infection pattern related to patient age. The contributions of individual <i>Aeromonas</i> species to age-related infections remain unknown. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to determine the species of <i>Aeromonas</i> strains from Australian patients with gastroenteritis. Public database searches were conducted to collect strains of enteric <i>Aeromonas</i> species, identified by either MLST or whole genome sequencing with known patient age. Violin plot analysis was performed to assess <i>Aeromonas</i> infection distribution across patients of different ages. Generalized additive model (GAM) analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between <i>Aeromonas</i> species and patient age. A total of 266 strains of seven <i>Aeromonas</i> species met the selection criteria, which were used for analyses. The violin plots revealed distinct patterns among individual <i>Aeromonas</i> species in relation to patient age. The GAM analyses identified a significant association between <i>Aeromonas</i> species and patient age (<i>p</i> = 0.009). <i>Aeromonas veronii</i> (153 strains) showed the highest probability of infection in most ages, particularly among young adults. <i>Aeromonas caviae</i> (59 strains) is more common in young children and adults over 60 years of age. The probability of infection for <i>Aeromonas hydrophila</i> (34 strains) and <i>Aeromonas dhakensis</i> (9 strains) was generally low, there was a slight increase in individuals aged 50–60 for <i>A. hydrophila</i> and over 60 years for <i>A. dhakensis</i>. These findings provide novel evidence of the varied contributions of different <i>Aeromonas</i> species to human enteric infections related to patient age, offering valuable insights for epidemiology and clinical management.
ISSN:2076-0817