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. 2019 Feb 14;9(1):2077.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-38773-7.

Multidisciplinary evaluation of Clostridium butyricum clonality isolated from preterm neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis in South France between 2009 and 2017

Michel Hosny  1 , Jacques Yaacoub Bou Khalil  1 , Aurelia Caputo  1 , Rita Abou Abdallah  2 , Anthony Levasseur  1 , Philippe Colson  1 , Nadim Cassir  1 , Bernard La Scola  3
Affiliations

Multidisciplinary evaluation of Clostridium butyricum clonality isolated from preterm neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis in South France between 2009 and 2017

Michel Hosny et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The association between Clostridium species identification from stool samples in preterm neonates and the occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis has been increasingly reported. To confirm the specific impact of Clostridium butyricum in this pathology, selective culture procedure was used for Clostridia isolation. Whole-genome analysis was employed to investigate genomic relationships between isolates. Stool samples from present study, as well as from previously investigated cases, were implicated including 88 from preterm neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis and 71 from matched controls. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the presence of C. butyricum from stools of new cases. Clostridium species prevalence isolated by culture was compared between patients with necrotizing enterocolitis and controls. By combining results of both culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods, C. butyricum was significantly more frequent in stool samples from preterm neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis than in controls. Whole-genome analysis of 81 genomes including 58 neonates' isolates revealed that cases were clustered depending on geographical origin of isolation. Controls isolates presented genomic relations with that of patients suggesting a mechanism of asymptomatic carriage. Overall, this suggests an epidemiology comparable to that observed in Clostridium difficile colitis in adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clostridium butyricum geographic relationship based on core-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism phylogenetic analysis. The color of strain names represents the geographic zone of isolation. (Marseille: NICU-1, NICU-2; Nice: NICU-3; Montpellier: NICU-4). Red strain names represents the 16 isolates sequenced Cassir et al.. NEC: necrotizing enterocolitis, NICU: neonatal intensive care units.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clostridium butyricum temporal relationship based on core-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism phylogenetic analysis. The color of strain names represents the timing of isolation. Red strain names represents the 16 isolates sequenced Cassir et al.. NEC: necrotizing enterocolitis, C: control.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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