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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387911
Research Project: Ecological Factors that Enable Colonization, Retention, and Dispersal of Foodborne Pathogens and Intervention Strategies to Control the Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance in Cattle and Swine

Location: Food and Feed Safety Research

Title: Whole-genome sequence of Aeromonas spp. isolated from a dairy farm in central Texas

Author
item Poole, Toni
item SCHLOSSER, WAYNE - Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
item Crippen, Tawni - Tc
item SWIGER, SONJA - Texas A&M University
item NORMAN, KERI - Texas A&M University
item Anderson, Robin

Submitted to: Microbiology Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2023
Publication Date: 1/26/2023
Citation: Poole, T.L., Schlosser, W.D., Crippen, T.L., Swiger, S.L., Norman, K.N., Anderson, R.C. 2023. Whole-genome sequence of Aeromonas spp. isolated from a dairy farm in central Texas. Microbiology Research. 14:161-176. https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14010014.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14010014

Interpretive Summary: Bacteria that cause disease in humans and animals are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. This has caused significant health concerns. Bacteria are not only becoming resistant to one or two antibiotics, they are becoming resistant to many antibiotics; such bacteria are called multi-drug resistant bacteria. This work reports the whole genome sequences of 22 bacterial isolates that are commonly found in the environment (Aeromonas species). Aeromonas are most often associated with aquatic or wet environments and are common around the world. Previously we found a multi-drug resistant Aeromonas hydrophila isolate on a swine farm where neonatal pigs had diarrhea. Aeromonas can cause diseases in humans ranging from diarrhea to flesh eating disease. Some species grow well at refrigerator temperatures and can grow on ready to eat food. This work provides valuable genetic information on a type of bacteria that can have significant consequences on human food safety.

Technical Abstract: This study investigated the presence of Aeromonas spp. on a dairy farm in Central Texas that employed a free-stall management system with two types of ventilation. A total of 140 samples were collected from areas representing each ventilation management system. Twenty-two presumptive Aeromonas spp. were isolated. There was no significant difference in the proportion of isolates from either system. Phenotypic analysis identified five Aeromonas spp. with 21 of the 22 isolates exhibiting beta-lactam resistance and two of these also exhibiting resistance to tetracycline. Phylogenetic of WGS analysis suggested only three Aeromonas spp. All isolates possessed at least one ß-lactam resistance gene, and the same two isolates exhibiting tetracycline resistance also possessed tet(E). Alignments of the assembled sequences identified no plasmids. Mobility elements and virulence factors were identified in all three Aeromonas spp. Four transposons identified have been associated with multidrug resistance in Italy, Sweden, and Singapore. The absence of plasmids suggests mobility elements and virulence genes were localized to the chromosome. On a dairy farm of 1000 healthy cattle, the existence of these 22 Aeromonas isolates were considered normal environmental flora while illustrating the ubiquitous nature of Aeromonas spp. globally.