Abstract
Vibrio cincinnatiensis is a halophilic species which has been found in marine and estuarine environments worldwide. The species is considered a rare pathogen for which the significance for humans is unclear. In this study, nine veterinary isolates were investigated that were obtained from domestic animals in Germany. The isolates were mostly recovered from abortion material of pigs, cattle, and horse (amnion or fetuses). One isolate was from a goose. A human clinical strain from a case of enteritis in Germany described in the literature was also included in the study. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of all isolates and MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted-laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry) were performed to verify the species assignment. All strains were investigated for phenotypic traits including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biochemical properties, and two virulence-associated phenotypes (hemolytic activity and resistance to human serum). WGS data and MS spectra confirmed that all veterinary isolates are closely related to the type strain V. cincinnatiensis NCTC12012. An exception was the human isolate from Germany which is related to the other isolates but could belong to another species. The isolates were similar in most biochemical phenotypes. Only one strain showed a very weak hemolytic activity against sheep erythrocytes, and serum resistance was intermediate in two strains. AMR phenotypes were more variable between the isolates. Resistances were observed against ß-lactams ampicillin and cefoxitin and against tetracycline and the sulfonamide antibiotics trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Some acquired AMR genes were identified by bioinformatics analyses. WGS and MALDI-TOF MS data reveal a close relationship of the veterinary isolates and the type strain V. cincinnatiensis NCTC12012, which is a clinical human isolate. As the veterinary isolates of this study were mostly recovered from abortion material (amnions and fetuses), a zoonotic potential of the veterinary isolates seems possible.
Highlights
Vibrio cincinnatiensis is a rare human pathogen
Nine veterinary V. cincinnatiensis isolates, one German clinical isolate, and the type strain NCTC12012 were used in this study (Table 1)
V. cincinnatiensis was rarely described in the literature, though the few reports in which this species was studied suggest that strains of the species occur worldwide in coastal and marine waters
Summary
Vibrio cincinnatiensis is a rare human pathogen. The type strain was isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid collected from a 70-year-old male at the University of Cincinnati Hospital in 1986 [1]. The patient suffered from bacteremia and meningitis, and the source of the infection remained undetected. The patient had no known contact with seafood or seawater. In Germany, another case of a suspected V. cincinnatiensis infection of an elder immunocompromised patient was reported in 1993 [2]. The strain was isolated from feces of a 67-year-old female suffering from enteritis. In this case, a contact to seawater or an exposure to seafood could not be established
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