Open AccessCharacterization of Listeria monocytogenes recovered from 41 cases of sporadic listeriosis in Austria by serotyping and pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis
Author(s) -
Wagner Martin,
Allerberger F
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1016/s0928-8244(02)00445-5
Subject(s) - pulsed field gel electrophoresis , listeria monocytogenes , serotype , biology , outbreak , microbiology and biotechnology , typing , virology , gel electrophoresis , multilocus sequence typing , molecular epidemiology , genotype , genetics , bacteria , gene
41 clinical Listeria monocytogenes strains recovered from seven feto‐maternal and 34 non‐pregnancy associated cases of human listeriosis documented between 1997 and 2000 underwent serotyping and typing by pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) applying the enzymes Asc I, Apa I and Sma I. The pulsotypes of the clinical strains were compared to the pulsotypes of three L. monocytogenes strains isolated from healthy fecal carriers and nine reference strains isolated from seven outbreaks in Europe and the USA. The 41 clinical strains of Austrian provenance showed 37 pulsotypes. Five sets of two Austrian strains each were indistinguishable by PFGE typing. Epidemiological links were absent between these indistinguishable isolates. One unique pulsotype (AB) was found in three fecal isolates. Five pulsotypes (A, Q, R, AC and AD) were distinguished among the strains associated with outbreaks. Clusters consisting of two, five and six Austrian strains each were indistinguishable from the outbreak‐associated pulsotypes A, Q and R, respectively, after PFGE analysis with Asc I. Three strains of Asc I pulsotype Q and five strains of Asc I pulsotype R could be further differentiated by restriction with Apa I and Sma I. One strain each from sporadic cases shared a combined pulsotype with the outbreak strains of pulsotypes A and R, respectively. These PFGE data suggest that a similar genetic background can be found in strains which have been contributing to outbreaks world‐wide and in isolates associated with sporadic listeriosis in Austria.