背景：
Arcobacter faecis和A. lanthieri是两种新分类的弓形杆菌属。需要对这些物种中的毒力，抗生素抗性和毒素（VAT）基因的流行和分布进行评估，以评估它们对人类和动物的潜在致病健康影响。本研究（i）开发了物种和基因特异性引物对，用于检测两种目标物种中的六种毒力，两种抗生素抗性和三种毒素基因; （ii）使用新开发的物种和基因特异性引物优化了8个单管多重和3个单复合PCR方案; （iii）通过测试从各种粪便和农业水源分离的A. faecis（n = 29）和A. lanthieri（n = 10）菌株进行特异性和灵敏度评估以及11种单和多重PCR分析的验证。确定VAT基因的流行和分布，并评估两个物种内的致病程度。

结果：
检测所有十个和十一个目标VAT基因，以及在田间分离株中高频率的A. faecis和A. lanthieri参考菌株中的细胞致死性扩张毒素（cdtA，cdtB和cdtC）基因的表达表明它们是潜在的致病菌株。这些发现表明这两个物种可能对人类和动物构成健康风险。

结论：
研究结果表明，开发的单重和多重PCR（mPCR）检测方法简单，快速，可靠，灵敏，可同时评估这两种基因中tet（O）和tet（W）基因的潜在致病性和抗生素耐药性。新发现的物种。此外，这些测定可用于诊断和分析实验室，以确定致病型和评估与人和动物感染相关的毒力和毒素因子。

BACKGROUND:
Arcobacter faecis and A. lanthieri are two newly classified species of genus Arcobacter. The prevalence and distribution of virulence, antibiotic resistance and toxin (VAT) genes in these species are required to assess their potential pathogenic health impacts to humans and animals. This study (i) developed species- and gene-specific primer pairs for the detection of six virulence, two antibiotic resistance, and three toxin genes in two target species; (ii) optimized eight single-tube multiplex and three monoplex PCR protocols using the newly developed species- and gene-specific primers; and (iii) conducted specificity and sensitivity evaluations as well as validation of eleven mono- and multiplex PCR assays by testing A. faecis (n= 29) and A. lanthieri (n= 10) strains isolated from various fecal and agricultural water sources to determine the prevalence and distribution of VAT genes and assess the degree of pathogenicity within the two species.

RESULTS:
Detection of all ten and eleven target VAT genes, and expression of cytolethal distending toxin (cdtA, cdtB and cdtC) genes in A. faecis and A. lanthieri reference strains with high frequency in field isolates suggest that they are potentially pathogenic strains. These findings indicate that these two species can pose a health risk to humans and animals.

CONCLUSIONS:
The study results show that the developed mono- and multiplex PCR (mPCR) assays are simple, rapid, reliable and sensitive for the simultaneous assessment of the potential pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance profiling of tet(O) and tet(W) genes in these two newly discovered species. Also, these assays can be useful in diagnostic and analytical laboratories to determine the pathotypes and assessment of the virulence and toxin factors associated to human and animal infections.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30634926