Natural occurrences and characterization of Elizabethkingia miricola infection in cultured bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

Dongdong Wei; Yuan Cheng; Shuangyan Xiao; Wenyu Liao; Qing Yu; Shuyu Han; Shuaishuai Huang; Jingu Shi; Zongsheng Xie; Pengfei Li

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2023.1094050

Natural occurrences and characterization of Elizabethkingia miricola infection in cultured bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Mar 14:13:1094050. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1094050. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Dongdong Wei^{1

2}, Yuan Cheng^{1

2}, Shuangyan Xiao^{1

2}, Wenyu Liao¹, Qing Yu^{1

2}, Shuyu Han³, Shuaishuai Huang¹, Jingu Shi³, Zongsheng Xie⁴, Pengfei Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangxi Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biotechnology and Modern Ecological Aquaculture, Guangxi Engineering Research Center for Fishery Major Diseases Control and Efficient Healthy Breeding Industrial Technology (GERCFT), Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China.
² China-ASEAN Modern Fishery Industry Technology Transfer Demonstration Center, Beibu Gulf Marine Industrial Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Marine Sciences, Nanning, China.
³ Guangxi Fisheries Technology Extension Station, Nanning, China.
⁴ Guangxi Academy of Fishery Science, Nanning, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The bacterium Elizabethkingia miricola is a multispecies pathogen associated with meningitis-like disease that has been isolated from several amphibian species, including the bullfrog, but this is the first isolation in Guangxi. In the present study, the dominant bacteria were isolated from the brains of five bullfrogs with meningitis-like disease on a South China farm in Guangxi.

Methods: The NFEM01 isolate was identified by Gram staining; morphological observations; 16S rRNA, rpoB, and mutT-based phylogenetic tree analysis; and physiochemical characterization and was subjected to drug sensitivity and artificial infection testing.

Results and discussion: As a result of identification, the NFEM01 strain was found to be E. miricola. An artificial infection experiment revealed that NFEM01 infected bullfrogs and could cause symptoms of typical meningitis-like disease. As a result of the bacterial drug sensitivity test, NFEM01 is highly sensitive to mequindox, rifampicin, enrofloxacin, nitrofural, and oxytetracycline and there was strong resistance to gentamicin, florfenicol, neomycin, penicillin, amoxicillin, doxycycline, and sulfamonomethoxine. This study provides a reference to further study the pathogenesis mechanism of E. miricola-induced bullfrog meningitislike disease and its prevention and treatment.

Keywords: Elizabethkingia miricola; antimicrobial resistance; bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana); isolation and identification; meningitis-like disease.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Meningitis*
Phylogeny
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
Rana catesbeiana / genetics
Rana catesbeiana / microbiology

Substances

RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Supplementary concepts

Elizabethkingia miricola

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U20A20102), the Agricultural Science and Technology project of Guangxi (Z2022167), the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-46), the Guangxi Innovation Team Project of National Modern Agricultural Industrial Technology System (nycytxgxcxtd-2021-08-02), and the Guangxi mangrove coastal wetland ecological protection and sustainable use of small highland talents project (BGMRC202104).