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Water Sources in a Zoological Park Harbor Genetically Diverse Strains of Clostridium Perfringens Type A with Decreased Susceptibility to Metronidazole

  • Microbiology of Aquatic Systems
  • Published:
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Abstract

The presence of Clostridium perfringens in water is generally regarded as an indicator of fecal contamination, and exposure to waterborne spores is considered a possible source of infection for animals. We assessed the presence and genetic diversity of C. perfringens in water sources in a zoological park located in Madrid (Spain). A total of 48 water samples from 24 different sources were analyzed, and recovered isolates were toxinotyped, genotyped by fluorophore-enhanced repetitive polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) fingerprinting and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. C. perfringens was recovered from 43.8 % of water samples and 50 % of water sources analyzed. All isolates (n = 70) were type A and 42.9 % were β2-toxigenic (i.e., cpb2+), but none contained the enterotoxin-encoding gene (cpe). Isolates belonged to 15 rep-PCR genotypes and most genetic diversity (88 %) was distributed among isolates obtained from the same sample. Most isolates displayed intermediate susceptibility (57.1 %; MIC = 16 μg ml−1) or resistance (5.7 %; MIC ≥ 32 μg ml−1) to metronidazole. No resistance to other antimicrobials was detected, although some isolates showed elevated MICs to erythromycin and/or linezolid. Finally, a marginally significant association between absence of cpb2 and decreased susceptibility to metronidazole (MIC ≥ 16 μg ml−1) was detected. In conclusion, our results reveal a high prevalence of C. perfringens type A in the studied water reservoirs, which constitutes a health risk for zoo animals. The elevated MICs to metronidazole observed for genetically diverse isolates is a cause of additional concern, but more work is required to clarify the significance of reduced metronidazole susceptibility in environmental strains.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by project grant AGL2013-46116-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Sergio Álvarez-Pérez acknowledges a ‘Juan de la Cierva’ postdoctoral contract [JCI-2012-12396]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. The constructive comments from two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Sergio Álvarez-Pérez, José L. Blanco & Marta E. García

  2. Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    José L. Blanco

  3. Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain

    Teresa Peláez

  4. Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Teresa Peláez

  5. ZOO-AQUARIUM Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Eva Martínez-Nevado

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  1. Sergio Álvarez-Pérez
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  2. José L. Blanco
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  5. Marta E. García
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Correspondence to José L. Blanco.

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Table S1

Detailed characteristics of the Clostridium perfringens isolates characterized in this study. (DOC 195 kb)

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Álvarez-Pérez, S., Blanco, J.L., Peláez, T. et al. Water Sources in a Zoological Park Harbor Genetically Diverse Strains of Clostridium Perfringens Type A with Decreased Susceptibility to Metronidazole. Microb Ecol 72, 783–790 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-016-0772-2

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