Biochemical and serological profiles of isolates of Plesiomonas shigelloides were assayed using standard procedures in isolates from various clinical samples. Seventy-four isolates, including P. shigelloides type strain, were further characterized by MALDI-TOF MS using 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid as matrix. Multiple ions in the 3- to 12-kDa mass range were found in the spectra of each strain, from which the "species-identifying" unique biomarker ions were identified. After creating the species-specific patterns, a spectral database was generated for reliable, rapid, reproducible and accurate identification of Plesiomonas strains. The classical strain description (biochemical and serological) was thus complemented with the metabolic (proteomic) characterization.

• MeSH
• Bacteriological Techniques methods   MeSH
• Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections microbiology   MeSH
• Plesiomonas chemistry   classification   immunology   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Serotyping methods   MeSH
• Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization methods   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Plesiomonas shigelloides (a bacterium widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems causing both intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases) shows a host of putative virulence markers, such as hemolysins, cytotoxins, production of exoenzymes associated with pathogenicity, adhesive ability and vacuolation of cell lines in vitro. Technical difficulties in detecting some of these virulence factors together with scantiness of epidemiological information, due to the lack of routine analysis for P. shigelloides as etiological agent of gastroenteritis, lead to sporadic and occasional finding of these bacteria. All this casts doubt on the real virulence potential of P. shigelloides and fuels a debate about assignment of these bacteria to the list of human pathogens. Here we demonstrated the phenotypic diversity and the putative virulence markers by examining serotype biochemical and virulence properties of 60 strains of P. shigelloides isolated from human, animal and environmental samples in different countries, which showed the unpredictable occurrence of the above properties depending on various locations and diverse sources.

• MeSH
• Virulence Factors metabolism   MeSH
• Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections microbiology   veterinary   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Environmental Microbiology * MeSH
• Plesiomonas genetics   isolation & purification   physiology   MeSH
• Serotyping MeSH
• Bacterial Typing Techniques MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Virulence Factors MeSH

Serotyping and some potential virulence-associated markers were investigated in Plesiomonas shigelloides strains isolated from humans, animals and aquatic environments. Surface properties of these strains were evaluated using Congo red binding, salt-aggregation test, bacterial adherence to xylene and motility. Production of pancreatic elastase, proteinase (consistent with subtilisin Carlsberg), triacylglycerol lipase, histidine decarboxylase and beta-hemolysin was also determined. In addition, detection of signal molecules such as C4-C8 unsubstituted N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) was performed. The serological typing of the P. shigelloides strains showed that the isolates belonged to 13 different serovars. The majority of the strains were hydrophobic and motile. The strains produced low levels of elastase, proteinase and histidine decarboxylase whereas triacylglycerol lipase activity was relatively high. Only 23.3 % of the strains produced hemolysin. The AHLs signal molecules were not detected. P. shigelloides strains were able to produce a variety of potential virulence markers which may be involved in the pathogenesis of Plesiomonas-associated infections.

• MeSH
• Bacterial Adhesion MeSH
• Species Specificity MeSH
• 4-Butyrolactone analogs & derivatives   metabolism   MeSH
• Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections microbiology   MeSH
• Hemolysin Proteins biosynthesis   MeSH
• Histidine Decarboxylase biosynthesis   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Lipase biosynthesis   MeSH
• Water Microbiology MeSH
• Pancreatic Elastase biosynthesis   MeSH
• Plesiomonas classification   isolation & purification   metabolism   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Serotyping MeSH
• Virulence MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• 4-Butyrolactone MeSH
• Hemolysin Proteins MeSH
• Histidine Decarboxylase MeSH
• homoserine lactone MeSH Browser
• Lipase MeSH
• Pancreatic Elastase MeSH