<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0021_s_005">
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Yersiniosis is a zoonosis causing gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, and occasionally reactive arthritis and septicaemia. Cases are often linked to meat consumption and the most common aetiological agent is the Gram-negative bacilliform <italic>Yersinia enterocolitica</italic> bacterium. The occurrence of <italic>Yersinia</italic> spp. among wild animals has mostly been studied in wild boar, but it has seldom been in other species.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0021_s_006">
<h3>Material and Methods</h3>
<p>A total of 1,868 faecal samples from animals found dead or hunted were collected between 2015 and 2018 in the Valle d’Aosta region of the northwestern Italian Alps. Alpine ibex faecal samples were collected during a health monitoring program in 2018. Bacteria were isolated <italic>via</italic> PCR and confirmed as <italic>Y. enterocolitica</italic> biochemically. Strain antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion, and the presence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes was investigated using whole-genome sequencing.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0021_s_007">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p><italic>Yersinia enterocolitica</italic> strains of biotype 1A were detected in six faecal samples from red deer (0.93%), roe deer (0.49%) and red foxes (0.7%). Strains found in beech martens (3.57%) and Alpine ibex (2.77%) belonged to biotypes 1B and 5, respectively and harboured the pYPTS01 plasmid that had only been detected in <italic>Y. pseudotuberculosis</italic> PB1/+. All the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and erythromycin.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0021_s_008">
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The biovar 1A strains exhibited different virulence factors and behaved like non-pathogenic commensals. The strain from an Alpine ibex also harboured the self-transmissible pYE854 plasmid that can mobilise itself and the pYPTS01 plasmid to other strains. The beech marten could be considered a sentinel animal for <italic>Y. enterocolitica</italic>. Phenotypic resistance may account for the ability of all the strains to resist β-lactams.</p></sec>
</abstract>

Introduction
Yersiniosis is a zoonosis causing gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, and occasionally reactive arthritis and septicaemia. Cases are often linked to meat consumption and the most common aetiological agent is the Gram-negative bacilliform Yersinia enterocolitica bacterium. The occurrence of Yersinia spp. among wild animals has mostly been studied in wild boar, but it has seldom been in other species.

Material and Methods
A total of 1,868 faecal samples from animals found dead or hunted were collected between 2015 and 2018 in the Valle d’Aosta region of the northwestern Italian Alps. Alpine ibex faecal samples were collected during a health monitoring program in 2018. Bacteria were isolated via PCR and confirmed as Y. enterocolitica biochemically. Strain antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion, and the presence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes was investigated using whole-genome sequencing.

Results
Yersinia enterocolitica strains of biotype 1A were detected in six faecal samples from red deer (0.93%), roe deer (0.49%) and red foxes (0.7%). Strains found in beech martens (3.57%) and Alpine ibex (2.77%) belonged to biotypes 1B and 5, respectively and harboured the pYPTS01 plasmid that had only been detected in Y. pseudotuberculosis PB1/+. All the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and erythromycin.

Conclusion
The biovar 1A strains exhibited different virulence factors and behaved like non-pathogenic commensals. The strain from an Alpine ibex also harboured the self-transmissible pYE854 plasmid that can mobilise itself and the pYPTS01 plasmid to other strains. The beech marten could be considered a sentinel animal for Y. enterocolitica. Phenotypic resistance may account for the ability of all the strains to resist β-lactams.

Characterisation of <italic>Yersinia enterocolitica</italic> strains isolated from wildlife in the northwestern Italian Alps

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Characterisation of  strains isolated from wildlife in the northwestern Italian Alps

Introduction
Yersiniosis is a zoonosis causing gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, and occasionally reactive arthritis and septicaemia. Cases are often linked to meat...

Characterisation of Yersinia enterocolitica strains isolated from wildlife in the northwestern Italian Alps

Published Online: Apr 22, 2022

Page range: 141 - 149

Received: Dec 24, 2021

Accepted: Apr 05, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2022-0021

Keywords
wildlife, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance

© 2022 E. Carella et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Characterisation of Yersinia enterocolitica strains isolated from wildlife in the northwestern Italian Alps

Published Online: Apr 22, 2022

Page range: 141 - 149

Received: Dec 24, 2021

Accepted: Apr 05, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2022-0021

Keywordswildlife, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance

© 2022 E. Carella et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
wildlife, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance