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Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity of Morganella morganii Isolated From Cheese

Lorenz Timo Ryser1,2, Emmanuelle Arias-Roth2, Vincent Perreten3

  • 1Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|December 6, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This study characterizes cheese-isolated Morganella morganii, identifying a new gene cluster for cadaverine production and confirming subspecies sibonii classification. The findings highlight potential food safety concerns due to biogenic amine formation and antibiotic resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Food Safety
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Morganella morganii produces biogenic amines (BA), including histamine, cadaverine, and putrescine, which are toxic and undesirable in food.
  • M. morganii is implicated in high histamine levels in fish products, posing a food safety risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To phenotypically and genotypically characterize 11 M. morganii strains isolated from cheese regarding biogenic amine formation.
  • To investigate the phylogeny, trehalose fermentation, and antibiotic resistance of these cheese isolates.
  • To identify genetic determinants responsible for BA production in M. morganii.

Main Methods:

  • Whole-genome sequencing using long and short read technologies.
  • Comparative genomics with public M. morganii genomes.
  • Phenotypic characterization including trehalose fermentation and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling.

Main Results:

  • Cheese isolates were assigned to M. morganii subsp. sibonii based on the trehalose operon and fermentation ability.
  • Comparative genomics revealed distinct clustering of subsp. morganii and subsp. sibonii, suggesting they may be separate species.
  • A novel gene cluster (lysS, argP, cadB, cadA) associated with cadaverine production was identified.
  • Putrescine production is linked to the speF gene, with disruptions observed in some strains.
  • All cheese strains exhibited resistance to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, tigecycline, colistin, and ampicillin, potentially due to chromosomal antimicrobial resistance genes.

Conclusions:

  • M. morganii subsp. sibonii represents a distinct phylogenetic and genomic lineage within M. morganii.
  • The identified gene cluster provides insight into the mechanism of cadaverine production.
  • The observed antibiotic resistance profiles in cheese isolates warrant further investigation for food safety implications.
Keywords:
Morganella morganiiantibiotic resistancesbiogenic aminescadaverinehistaminelysine decarboxylaseputrescinetrehalose

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