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- Posted Thursday July 23, 2015
Klebsiella bacteria in food supply may pose public health risk
TGen and George Washington University-led study is first to link Klebsiella-contaminated food to urinary and blood infections
PHOENIX, Ariz. - July 23, 2015 - The U.S. food
safety system has traditionally focused on a few well-known
bacteria like Listeria, Salmonella and
Campylobacter, which cause millions of cases of food
poisoning every year.
A study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) and George Washington University, and published today in
the scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases,
suggests that the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae may need
to be added to the list of risky microbes found in food
products.
To better understand potential contributions of foodborne
Klebsiella pneumonia to human clinical infections, the
multi-center research team compared K. pneumoniae isolates
from retail pork and poultry products and human clinical specimens
to assess their similarity based on whole genome sequencing. They
looked at turkey, chicken and pork products sold in nine major
grocery stores in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 2012. During the same time
period, the team analyzed urine and blood samples taken from
Flagstaff area residents who were suffering from infections.
The researchers used whole-genome DNA sequencing to spell out the
isolates' biochemical molecules. They compared the
Klebsiella isolated in retailpork and poultry
products with the Klebsiella isolated in patients and
found that some isolate pairs were nearly identical.
Researchers also found that 47 percent of the 508 pork and poultry
products purchased from grocery stores in 2012 harbored
Klebsiella - and many of the strains recovered were
resistant to antibiotics. In addition, researchers found the
Klebsiella, including resistant strains, comprised 10
percent of the 1,728 positive cultures from patients with either
urinary tract or blood infections.
"This study is the first to suggest that consumers can be exposed
to potentially dangerous Klebsiella from contaminated pork
and poultry," said Dr. Lance B. Price, Ph.D., lead author of the
study and the Director of the Center for Food Microbiology and
Environmental Health at TGen. "The U.S. government monitors food
for only a limited number of bacterial species, but this study
shows that focusing on the 'usual suspects' may not capture the
full scope of foodborne pathogens.
"We hope that this research will open new avenues for preventing
Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, which can be deadly -
particularly in the elderly," Dr. Price said. "We need to find new
ways to stop Klebsiella pneumoniae from spreading in the
community, and food may be an important place to look."
The multi-center study was led by Price and other scientists at
TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division in Flagstaff and at the Milken
Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington
University.
Also contributing to this study were the Flagstaff Medical Center,
the VA Healthcare System-Minneapolis, Statens Serum Institut in
Copenhagen, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the
University of Minnesota.
"As an infectious disease doctor, I have encountered
Klebsiella pneumoniae in my patients. We tend to think of
this organism as being one that individuals carry naturally, or
acquire from the environment," said Dr. James R. Johnson, M.D., a
co-author of the study and a professor of Medicine at the
University of Minnesota. "This research suggests that we also can
pick up these bacteria from the food we eat."
Funding for this study, Intermingled Klebsiella pneumoniae
populations between retail meats and human urinary tract
infections, was provided by the Department of Defense
Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, and by the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
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About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused
on helping patients with cancer, neurological disorders and
diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process
of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen
physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of
both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children.
Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical
communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial
contribution to help our patients through efficiency and
effectiveness of the translational process. For more information,
visit:www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
