Listeria monocytogenes is the etiologic agent of listeriosis, a severe foodborne disease, characterized by a high lethality risk (20-40%) in well-defined bracket of the population: pregnant women, neonates, elderly and immunocompromised patients. In Italy, the listeriosis is a communicable disease with an incidence of 0,1 cases per 100000 persons. Since detailed information concerning the epidemiology of listeriosis in the Italian Veneto region are currently missing, the aim of this study was to analyze 36 L. monocytogenes clinical isolates collected between 2009 and 2014 in the Veneto region. All the isolates have been identified and characterized using a PCR– based serotyping technique, furthermore they have been characterized with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the Apa I restriction enzyme. In addition, antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated in selected isolates representative of the different pulsotypes. The mean age of non pregnancy-associated cases was 69 years, with 66% of cases occurring in patients older than 65 years. The multiplex-PCR serotyping assay revealed that more than half of the strains (55%) belonged to serovar group 1/2a, 3a, followed by serovar group 1/2b, 3b (25%) and serovar group 4b, 4d, 4e (16%). Thirty pulsotypes were identified. The only three isolates that were time and geographically related belonged to the more prevalent pulsotype. It was also shown that one pulsotype could be attributed to an event of maternal-fetal transmission. None of the isolates tested was resistant to the selected antibiotics. The findings of our study prove that in the Veneto region listeriosis is mainly due to the serotype 1/2a. Moreover, the epidemiology of this pathogen is in line with the data provided by the two main European agencies: EFSA and ECDC.

Molecular epidemiology of L. monocytogenes in the Italian Veneto region

CALISTRI, ARIANNA;PICCIRILLO, ALESSANDRA;SALATA, CRISTIANO;PALU', GIORGIO
2016

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is the etiologic agent of listeriosis, a severe foodborne disease, characterized by a high lethality risk (20-40%) in well-defined bracket of the population: pregnant women, neonates, elderly and immunocompromised patients. In Italy, the listeriosis is a communicable disease with an incidence of 0,1 cases per 100000 persons. Since detailed information concerning the epidemiology of listeriosis in the Italian Veneto region are currently missing, the aim of this study was to analyze 36 L. monocytogenes clinical isolates collected between 2009 and 2014 in the Veneto region. All the isolates have been identified and characterized using a PCR– based serotyping technique, furthermore they have been characterized with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the Apa I restriction enzyme. In addition, antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated in selected isolates representative of the different pulsotypes. The mean age of non pregnancy-associated cases was 69 years, with 66% of cases occurring in patients older than 65 years. The multiplex-PCR serotyping assay revealed that more than half of the strains (55%) belonged to serovar group 1/2a, 3a, followed by serovar group 1/2b, 3b (25%) and serovar group 4b, 4d, 4e (16%). Thirty pulsotypes were identified. The only three isolates that were time and geographically related belonged to the more prevalent pulsotype. It was also shown that one pulsotype could be attributed to an event of maternal-fetal transmission. None of the isolates tested was resistant to the selected antibiotics. The findings of our study prove that in the Veneto region listeriosis is mainly due to the serotype 1/2a. Moreover, the epidemiology of this pathogen is in line with the data provided by the two main European agencies: EFSA and ECDC.
2016
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/3188005
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