TY - JOUR
T1 - Size Distribution and Pathogenic Potential of Culturable Airborne Clostridium spp. in a Suburb of Toyama City, Japan
AU - Seki, Makoto
AU - Iwamoto, Reika
AU - Hou, Jianjian
AU - Fujiyoshi, So
AU - Maruyama, Fumito
AU - Furusawa, Yukihiro
AU - Kagaya, Shigehiro
AU - Sakatoku, Akihiro
AU - Nakamura, Shogo
AU - Tanaka, Daisuke
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions / Japanese Society for Extremophiles.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Clostridium spp. are anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria comprising more than 150 species, some of which are important pathogens of humans and animals. Members of this genus have been isolated from a number of environments, but are rarely found in the atmosphere. In the present study, we examined culturable airborne Clostridium spp. and clarified their pathogenicity. We obtained 19 culturable Clostridium isolates from size-fractionated samples collected at a suburban site in Toyama, central Japan. Culturable Clostridium spp. were detected in particles larger than 1.1 μm, and the size distribution peaked at 2.1–3.3 μm, corresponding to the spore size of Clostridium spp. More Clostridium spp. were detected in coarse particles >2.1 μm not only by culture methods, but also by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) identified seven Clostridium species, among which Clostridium perfringens was predominant. Moreover, WGS revealed that C. perfringens isolates harbored many virulence and antibiotic resistance genes with the potential to cause gas gangrene. The detection and characterization of potential airborne pathogens are crucial for preventing the spread of diseases caused by these pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that anaerobic Clostridium spp. may be transported under aerobic conditions in the atmosphere and pose potential risks to human health.
AB - Clostridium spp. are anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria comprising more than 150 species, some of which are important pathogens of humans and animals. Members of this genus have been isolated from a number of environments, but are rarely found in the atmosphere. In the present study, we examined culturable airborne Clostridium spp. and clarified their pathogenicity. We obtained 19 culturable Clostridium isolates from size-fractionated samples collected at a suburban site in Toyama, central Japan. Culturable Clostridium spp. were detected in particles larger than 1.1 μm, and the size distribution peaked at 2.1–3.3 μm, corresponding to the spore size of Clostridium spp. More Clostridium spp. were detected in coarse particles >2.1 μm not only by culture methods, but also by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) identified seven Clostridium species, among which Clostridium perfringens was predominant. Moreover, WGS revealed that C. perfringens isolates harbored many virulence and antibiotic resistance genes with the potential to cause gas gangrene. The detection and characterization of potential airborne pathogens are crucial for preventing the spread of diseases caused by these pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that anaerobic Clostridium spp. may be transported under aerobic conditions in the atmosphere and pose potential risks to human health.
KW - Clostridium
KW - antibiotic resistance genes
KW - bioaerosols
KW - sporobiota
KW - virulence genes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85217847759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1264/jsme2.ME24078
DO - 10.1264/jsme2.ME24078
M3 - 学術論文
C2 - 39909442
AN - SCOPUS:85217847759
SN - 1342-6311
VL - 40
JO - Microbes and Environments
JF - Microbes and Environments
IS - 1
M1 - ME24078
ER -
