First isolation of Campylobacter vicugnae sp. nov. in humans suffering from gastroenteritis

• Published in: Microbiology spectrum 2024-11, Vol.12 (11), p.e0152324
• Main Authors: Jehanne, Quentin, Bénéjat, Lucie, Azzi Martin, Lamia, Korolik, Victoria, Ducournau, Astrid, Aptel, Johanna, Ménard, Armelle, Jauvain, Marine, Aguilera, Christophe, Doreille, Alice, Mesnard, Laurent, Eckert, Catherine, Lehours, Philippe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacterial Toxins - genetics; Caco-2 Cells; Campylobacter - classification; Campylobacter - genetics; Campylobacter - isolation & purification; Campylobacter genus; Campylobacter Infections - microbiology; Campylobacter Infections - veterinary; Clinical Microbiology; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; emergent species; Female; Foodborne Diseases - microbiology; Gastroenteritis - microbiology; Humans; Male; Phylogeny; Research Article; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; whole-genome sequencing
• ISSN: 2165-0497; 2165-0497
• DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01523-24

The present study describes the first isolation of a recently described species, , in humans. The isolates were recovered by two independent French laboratories in 2020 and 2022 from a man and a woman suffering from gastroenteritis. Biochemical and growth characteristics, and electron microscopy for these two strains indicated that they belong to genus. and GyrA-based phylogeny, as well as average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA Hybridization analyses revealed that both strains belong to the species. Both isolates possess a complete cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) locus with , and C, and features of CDT activity were demonstrated with Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells. Our data suggest that these two isolates of were associated with gastroenteritis in humans and induced major cytopathogenic effects . is likely to be a novel human pathogen, with a source of foodborne infection that needs to be determined.IMPORTANCE species that display toxicity features are a worldwide public health issue. In clinical contexts, it is crucial to identify which isolate could be an urgent threat to a patient. Actual and widely used laboratory methods such as mass spectrometry or PCR may be flawed in the field of species identification. In contrast, the present study shows that next-generation sequencing allows to precisely identify isolates to species level that may have been omitted otherwise. Moreover, it helps to identify emerging species before they become a threat to human health. Recovery of a new species in human sample, such as the new species " ," is an important step for the identification of emerging pathogens posing threat to global health.