Hafnia | |
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Hafnia alvei cultures | |
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Genus: | Hafnia Møller, 1954 [1] |
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Hafnia alvei Contents |
Hafnia is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria in the family Hafniaceae.
H. alvei is a commensal of the human gastrointestinal tract and not normally pathogenic, but may cause disease in immunocompromised patients. It is often resistant to multiple antibiotics, including the aminopenicillins.
The name comes from Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen.
Hafnia alvei is used as a lactic ferment by the dairy industry and more recently as a probiotic [2] [3] included in a dietary supplement product.
The genus Hafnia is one of more than 40 genera that currently comprise the order Enterobacterales.
Although Møller originally described this genus in 1954, the legitimacy of this group was constantly challenged over the next two decades, often being referred to by synonyms such as "Enterobacter alvei", "Enterobacter aerogenes subsp. hafniae" and "Enterobacter hafniae" but it is mostly referenced by its current name, Hafnia alvei, in the literature. [4] [5]
In 1977, a study concluded that at the end of Camembert manufacturing Hafnia alvei remains as the dominant species. Hafnia alvei is a psychrotrophic strain, which can develop at low temperatures, meaning that it doesn't stop growing during the storage phase of cheese unlike E. coli. [6]
In 1983, Enterobacterales were discovered in freshly produced Camembert: [7] 51% of the identified Enterobacterales were Hafnia alvei strains compared to only 9% of Escherichia coli. These authors also showed that Hafnia alvei grew to a high concentration in cheese (up to 107 CFU/g), in both raw milk and pasteurised milk cheeses.
A few years later, in 1987, Hafnia alvei was identified by a Spanish team in raw ewes' milk representing 6.5% of the total Enterobacterales species present. [8]
In 2014, a collaborative study working on cheese ripening, involving the French INRA and an Italian University, identified H. alvei in raw milk used to make the traditional caciocavallo Pugliese cheese. [9]
Hafnia alvei is also present in fermented foods other than dairy products, it has been identified over the years in traditional meals around the planet.
In 1987, American scientists studying Brassicaceae found Hafnia alvei while analysing the microflora of fresh harvested collards, they believed the Hafnia alvei originated from soil contamination but not necessarily as a pathogen. [10]
Hafnia has also been identified in fermented coffee seeds in Ethiopia and Ohio, USA. [11] American researchers studied the microbiome of the coffee seeds and identified Hafnia alvei among numerous other strains and species, including 13 species of Enterobacterales . [12] This study highlighted that the richness of the seeds' microbiome was linked to the fermentation process and the coffee quality. The richest order of bacteria identified was the Enterobacterales containing Hafnia alvei. This family is often found in humid and nutrient rich environments similar to coffee processing conditions. Thus, they could play a critical role in the fermentation.
Hafnia alvei has also been identified in commercial kimchi, a traditional Korean meal made with Asian cabbage, radish, spices and salted fermented seafood. Scientists suggest the source of Hafnia in this case is the fermented seafood. [13]
In 2004, Mexican scientists isolated Hafnia alvei (among other bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or plantarum) from pulque a traditional beverage made from fermented Maguey (also known as agave). [14]
And finally, Hafnia alvei was also isolated from meat products, particularly refrigerated beef due to the presence of Hafnia alvei on slaughtered cattle. It can be found alongside E. coli in chorizo, a popular semi-dry fermented Spanish sausage. [15] Fermented sausages made in Spain were also reported to contain the Hafnia alvei strain, responsible for producing histamine that is crucial to the ripening process. [16]
Most standard microbiology texts list mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, soil, water, sewage, and foods as sources from which hafniae can be recovered.
The gastrointestinal tracts of animals, and in particular mammals, appear to be a very common ecologic habitat for hafniae. Paleomicrobiology investigations have identified H. alvei originating from intestinal mass samples and sediment collected from 12,000-year-old mastodon remains in Michigan and Ohio. In a study of 642 Australian mammals, Gordon and FitzGibbon [17] found that H. alvei was the third most common enteric species identified, following Escherichia coli and E. cloacae. The isolation of H. alvei was significantly associated with recovery from marsupial carnivores and murid rodents.
Hafniae have also been recovered sporadically from the manure samples of pack animals collected from national park trails and from 7% of the grizzly and black bear specimens tested. [18]
Among avian species, H. alvei has been frequently isolated from birds of prey, including falcons, owls, and turkey vultures; even high-altitude alpine accentors that have virtually no contact with humans have had Hafnia isolated from them, at frequencies ranging from 3% to 16%. [19]
Other sources for H. alvei include reptiles (snakes and skinks), invertebrates, insects, fish, and bats.
According to several publications, Hafnia alvei is present as a dominant species during the ripening of raw milk cheese. [20]
Hafnia alvei is a psychrotrophic bacterium, it originates in raw milk and continues to grow in cheeses such as Camembert. The multiplication is a key factor in the fermentation process and ripening of cheese.
Since 1979, studies of French cheese have led to the identification of correlations between Hafnia alvei growth and chemical parameters during cheese manufacturing. Several researchers estimated that the level of H. alvei reaches 107 CFU/g at the end of ripening process and showed that its growth curve is closely linked to an increase in pH. Similarly, Mounier et al. determined a H. alvei content of about 109 CFU/g in a model smear cheese (soft cheese).
Extensive study of traditional cheeses that have been consumed for years highlight the presence of Hafnia alvei in dairy products for more than thirty years.
In conclusion, abundant levels of Hafnia alvei can be found in raw milk cheese and it plays a large role in cheese aromatisation due to its impact on acidity and capacity to produce free amino-acids.
Hafnia is either intentionally added during the cheesemaking process or it is already present as a constituent of the milk microflora. It contributes to the fermentation process and ripening of cheeses. Metabolic studies revealed that H. alvei is pivotal to the ripening process and the development of the typical cheese flavour.
Because of these properties affecting acidity and flavour, H. alvei has been used in the manufacture of several cheeses, such as cheddar, gouda and camembert, as well as in Livarot and other raw milk cheese. H. alvei is also marketed in the EU as a ripening culture for camembert with a strong aroma (Aroma-Prox AF 036, provided by Bioprox SAS, France) or as blend of microorganisms for soft cheese flavour (Choozit Cheese cultures ARO 21-HA LYO 10 D, provided by Danisco Denmark Archived 30 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine ).
A 2013 study of a cheese model ecosystem highlighted the role of Hafnia alvei in inhibiting the growth of E. coli strain O26:H11 without altering pH or lactic acid concentrations. Hafnia alvei did produce a small amount of biogenic amines such as putrescine and cadaverine but these didn't affect the overall level of volatile aroma compounds. [21]
Interest in Hafnia alvei's roll in cheese making is increasing. A 2007, ANR (French National Research Agency) project (GRAMME) are evaluating the benefits and risks of Hafnia alvei in the production of cheese and studying the potential functions to enlarge its application to other food products.
Hafnia grows in media containing 2% to 5% NaCl, a pH range of 4.9 to 8.25, and thermal gradients of 4 °C to 44 °C; [22] the optimum temperature for growth has been reported as 35 °C. [4]
There is general agreement that almost 100% of Hafnia strains grow on MacConkey, Hektoen enteric, eosin methylene blue, and xylose-lysine-deoxycholate agars, all of which are differential to moderately selective media. [22]
On more inhibitory selective media, 25% to 60% of strains fail to grow on Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar, while 75% to 100% of isolates are inhibited on brilliant green medium. Classic strains of H. alvei are lactose and sucrose negative and as such appear as nonfermenting colonies on enteric isolation media.
On moderately selective agars, they typically appear as large, smooth, convex, translucent colonies of 2 to 3 mm in diameter with an entire edge; some may exhibit an irregular border. [5]
The immunochemistry of Hafnia lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are extremely complicated. All H. alvei LPS appear to contain glucose, glucosamine, heptose, and 3-deoxyoctulosonic acid. Some LPS also contain other amino sugars or carbohydrates such as mannose, galactose, galactosamine, and mannosamine. The core oligosaccharide structure of some strains consists of an identical hexasaccharide structure composed of two D-glucose residues, three LD-heptose residues, and one 3-deoxyoctulosonic acid residue. There is extensive serologic and immunologic diversity in this genus, and active research continues in this area. [23]
In 1969, Barbe described two biotypes of H. alvei based upon fermentation of D-arabinose and salicin and on esculin and arbutin hydrolysis. [5] One challenge that microbiologists face is trying to develop biochemical tests that can readily distinguish most strains of DNA group 1 (H. alvei sensu stricto) from DNA group 2 (unnamed Hafnia species) isolates. These two groups could be distinguished from one another by a series of tests. No single test was completely discriminatory, but motility at 24hr was the best predictor of DNA group (DNA group 1, 9% positive; DNA group 2, 100% positive).
There is limited information about the pathogenicity of Hafnia alvei. This is likely due to the low occurrence frequency of this species in human illnesses and the fact that there are no clear-cut disease syndromes specifically associated with H. alvei. The current information regarding Hafnia pathogenicity can be looked at from two perspectives; virulence factors potentially operative in extra intestinal infections and those restricted primarily to the intestin. [5] A study mentions that mice injected intraperitoneally with hafniae did not succumb to infection. [5]
H. alvei is an uncommon human pathogen despite the increased attention from the medical community over the past decade due to its possible association with gastroenteritis.
There are no well-described outbreaks of disease caused by H. alvei in which the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory correlates are overwhelmingly in support of an unquestionable role for hafniae in these illnesses. [5]
In a study of 17 Hafnia alvei ("Enterobacter hafniae") isolates recovered by the Mayo Clinic from 1968 to 1970, only 5 isolates (29%) were judged to be clinically significant. [24] In all five of these cases, H. alvei was determined to be a secondary pathogen (respiratory:2; abscess:3). Overall, the mean age of those infected or colonised with H. alvei was 52.9 years, with a male/female ratio of 1:1.1. Slightly over 50% of all isolates were acquired via a nosocomial route, including all five associated with infection. [24] In only two instances was H. alvei recovered in pure culture, and in neither case was the strain clinically significant.
It is interesting to highlight that ATCC considers that all Hafnia alvei strains belong to the Biosafety level 1 only. [25] Furthermore, Richard identified the presence of 108 viable cells per gram of cheese, which suggests a daily consumption of more than 109 bacteria per day (calculation based on a 30 g portion) indicating the good safety profile of Hafnia alvei in daily consumption. [26]
The safety of Hafnia alvei in immunocompetent patients looks very clear and have been demonstrated for more than 4 decades up to now.
Stock et al. describes a study in which 76 H. alvei isolates were investigated for their susceptibility to 69 antibiotics or drugs. The general pattern that emerges from this study is that hafniae are typically susceptible to carbapenems, monobactams, chloramphenicol, quinolones, aminoglycosides, and antifolates (e.g., trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) and resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid. Susceptibility to tetracyclines and cephalosporins is variable. [27]
A Spanish study, [28] involving enteric pathogens also found that 32 strains of H. alvei were universally susceptible to all quinolones (including gemifloxacin and grepafloxacin), cefotaxime, gentamicin, co-trimoxazole, and naladixic acid; 78% of the strains in that study were susceptible to doxycycline. Some H. alvei strains produce both low-level inducible cephalosporinases (ceftazidime susceptible) and high-level constitutive cephalosporinase activity that is resistant to ceftazidime.
A clinical study testing the intake of the H. alvei HA4597 strain in overweight people has shown the excellent safety of this bacteria. [29]
Hafnia produces a protein called Caseinolytic Protease B (ClpB) which has been shown to be a mimetic of the hormone α-MSH which is implicated in the satiety. [30]
Some Enterobacterales bacteria, such as Hafnia alvei have been shown to naturally regulate the appetite. [31]
More specifically, the Hafnia alvei HA4597 strain was tested in ob/ob and high-fat diet-fed obese and overweight mice after administration by gavage. In those two models, the Hafnia alvei strain showed good tolerance, reduced body weight gain and fat mass in both obesity models, and a significant decrease in food intake in ob/ob mice. [32]
Another study [33] describing the administration of the HA4597 strain to high-fat-diet-fed hyperphagic ob/ob male mice, showed a significant decrease (compared to untreated or orlistat-treated mice) in body weight, body fat and food intake but also in treated mice a decrease in blood sugar level, total plasma cholesterol and alanine aminotransaminase.
In 2021, the results [29] of a 12-week clinical study comparing oral intake of strain HA45597 versus placebo, were published in the scientific journal Nutrients. This prospective, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized study in 236 overweight volunteers (BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2) clinically confirmed the preclinical data. The primary efficacy endpoint "weight loss" was met: a statistically significant difference was observed in favor of the Hafnia alvei group in the proportion of subjects who lost at least 3% of their body weight at 12 weeks (57,7% in the Hafnia group versus 41,7% placebo group, p=0,028). Among the secondary endpoints achieved, a statistically significant increase in the feeling of satiety was noticed. In addition, the effect of the strain is also greater than the placebo in reducing hip circumference. Only Hafnia alvei HA4597 had an effect on the cholesterol level and induced a reduction in blood sugar levels.
The scientific journal, Nature, recently qualified the strain Hafnia alvei HA4597, as a "precision probiotic", that is to say a probiotic whose strain and mechanism of action are fully described and understood scientifically. [34]
TargEDys, [35] a French company, which demonstrated that the Hafnia alvei HA4597 strain could stimulate satiety via the ClpB protein and help to naturally control appetite and lose weight, conducted the studies enabling the marketing of this probiotic.
Hafnia alvei is a food grade bacteria. It is not listed in the Novel Food catalogue of the European Commission. It is listed on the Danish list of notified microbial cultures applied in food. [36]
Hafnia alvei is part of the IDF positive list (International Dairy Federation) of Microbial Food Cultures (MFC) demonstrating safety requirements in fermented food products for worldwide use. [37] It is also classified as a Natural Health Product in the Canadian NNHPD (Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate). [38]
The H. alvei HA4597 strain is now marketed in France as a dietary supplement associated with Zinc and Chromium under the names EnteroSatys (TargEDys) and Symbiosys Satylia Chromium and Zinc by the laboratory (Biocodex), as well as with guarana and Chromium under the name of EnteroSatys Weight Management. It is also distributed in Portugal (Symbiosys Satylia), Italy (Satilia), Croatia (EnteroSatys), Turkey (Satylia), and Germany (SymbioLife Satylia).
Lactobacillus is a genus of gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus Lactobacillus comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically diverse species; a taxonomic revision of the genus assigned lactobacilli to 25 genera.
Lactobacillus bulgaricus is the main bacterium used for the production of yogurt. It also plays a crucial role in the ripening of some cheeses, as well as in other processes involving naturally fermented products. It is defined as homofermentive lactic acid bacteria due to lactic acid being the single end product of its carbohydrate digestion. It is also considered a probiotic.
Proteus is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. It is a rod shaped, aerobic and motile bacteria, which is able to migrate across surfaces due its “swarming” characteristic in temperatures between 20 and 37 °C. Their size generally ranges from 0.4 to 0.8 μm in diameter and 1.0–3.0 μm in length. They tend to have an ammonia smell. Proteus bacilli are widely distributed in nature as saprophytes, being found in decomposing animal matter, sewage, manure soil, the mammalian intestine, and human and animal feces. They are opportunistic pathogens, commonly responsible for urinary and septic infections, often nosocomial.
Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host interactions and unwanted side effects in rare cases. There is some evidence that probiotics are beneficial for some conditions, such as helping to ease some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, many claimed health benefits, such as treating eczema, lack substantial scientific support.
Blue cheese is any of a wide range of cheeses made with the addition of cultures of edible molds, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. Blue cheeses vary in taste from very mild to strong, and from slightly sweet to salty or sharp; in colour from pale to dark; and in consistency from liquid to hard. They may have a distinctive smell, either from the mold or from various specially cultivated bacteria such as Brevibacterium linens.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive, homofermentative, anaerobic microbe first isolated from infant feces in the year 1900. The species is commonly found in humans, specifically the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity as well as some speciality fermented foods such as fermented milk or yogurt, though it is not the most common species for this. The species most readily grows at low pH levels, and has an optimum growth temperature of 37 °C. Certain strains of L. acidophilus show strong probiotic effects, and are commercially used in dairy production. The genome of L. acidophilus has been sequenced.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is a widespread member of the genus Lactiplantibacillus and commonly found in many fermented food products as well as anaerobic plant matter. L. plantarum was first isolated from saliva. Based on its ability to temporarily persist in plants, the insect intestine and in the intestinal tract of vertebrate animals, it was designated as a nomadic organism. L. plantarum is Gram positive, bacilli shaped bacterium. L. plantarum cells are rods with rounded ends, straight, generally 0.9–1.2 μm wide and 3–8 μm long, occurring singly, in pairs or in short chains. L. plantarum has one of the largest genomes known among the lactic acid bacteria and is a very flexible and versatile species. It is estimated to grow between pH 3.4 and 8.8. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum can grow in the temperature range 12 °C to 40 °C. The viable counts of the "L. plantarum" stored at refrigerated condition (4 °C) remained high, while a considerable reduction in the counts was observed stored at room temperature.
Enterobacter is a genus of common Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Cultures are found in soil, water, sewage, feces and gut environments. It is the type genus of the order Enterobacterales. Several strains of these bacteria are pathogenic and cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts and in those who are on mechanical ventilation. The urinary and respiratory tracts are the most common sites of infection. The genus Enterobacter is a member of the coliform group of bacteria. It does not belong to the fecal coliforms group of bacteria, unlike Escherichia coli, because it is incapable of growth at 44.5 °C in the presence of bile salts. Some of them show quorum sensing properties.
Lacticaseibacillus casei is an organism that belongs to the largest genus in the family Lactobacillaceae, a lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that was previously classified as Lactobacillus casei. This bacteria has been identified as facultatively anaerobic or microaerophilic, acid-tolerant, non-spore-forming bacteria.
Limosilactobacillus reuteri is a lactic acid bacterium found in a variety of natural environments, including the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other animals. It does not appear to be pathogenic and may have health effects.
Food microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that inhabit, create, or contaminate food. This includes the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage; pathogens that may cause disease ; microbes used to produce fermented foods such as cheese, yogurt, bread, beer, and wine; and microbes with other useful roles, such as producing probiotics.
Streptococcus thermophilus formerly known as Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus is a gram-positive bacterium, and a fermentative facultative anaerobe, of the viridans group. It tests negative for cytochrome, oxidase, and catalase, and positive for alpha-hemolytic activity. It is non-motile and does not form endospores. S. thermophilus is fimbriated.
Geotrichum candidum is a fungus which is a member of the human microbiome, notably associated with skin, sputum, and faeces where it occurs in 25–30% of specimens. It is common in soil and has been isolated from soil collected around the world, in all continents.
Limosilactobacillus fermentum is a Gram-positive species in the heterofermentative genus Limosilactobacillus. It is associated with active dental caries lesions. It is also commonly found in fermenting animal and plant material including sourdough and cocoa fermentation. A few strains are considered probiotic or "friendly" bacteria in animals and at least one strain has been applied to treat urogenital infections in women. Some strains of lactobacilli formerly mistakenly classified as L. fermentum have since been reclassified as Limosilactobacillus reuteri. Commercialized strains of L. fermentum used as probiotics include PCC, ME-3 and CECT5716
Propionibacterium freudenreichii is a gram-positive, non-motile bacterium that plays an important role in the creation of Emmental cheese, and to some extent, Jarlsberg cheese, Leerdammer and Maasdam cheese. Its concentration in Swiss-type cheeses is higher than in any other cheese. Propionibacteria are commonly found in milk and dairy products, though they have also been extracted from soil. P. freudenreichii has a circular chromosome about 2.5 Mb long. When Emmental cheese is being produced, P. freudenreichii ferments lactate to form acetate, propionate, and carbon dioxide
(3 C3H6O3 → 2 C2H5CO2 + C2H3O2 + CO2).
Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. It is prepared by inoculating the milk of cows, goats, or sheep with kefir grains.
Bifidobacterium is a genus of gram-positive, nonmotile, often branched anaerobic bacteria. They are ubiquitous inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract though strains have been isolated from the vagina and mouth of mammals, including humans. Bifidobacteria are one of the major genera of bacteria that make up the gastrointestinal tract microbiota in mammals. Some bifidobacteria are used as probiotics.
Microbial food cultures are live bacteria, yeasts or moulds used in food production. Microbial food cultures carry out the fermentation process in foodstuffs. Used by humans since the Neolithic period fermentation helps to preserve perishable foods and to improve their nutritional and organoleptic qualities. As of 1995, fermented food represented between one quarter and one third of food consumed in Central Europe. More than 260 different species of microbial food culture are identified and described for their beneficial use in fermented food products globally, showing the importance of their use.
Escherichia albertii is a Gram-negative species of bacteria within the same genus as E. coli. It was recognised to cause disease after being isolated from the stools of children with diarrhea in Bangladesh, and was originally thought to be Hafnia alvei based on biochemical assays. The bacterium was reclassified in 2003 as a novel species based on its genetic features, and was named E. albertii in honour of the microbiologist who first described the species. E. albertii differs from typical E. coli in being nonmotile and unable to ferment lactose.
Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (commonly abbreviated as Lc. paracasei) is a gram-positive, homofermentative species of lactic acid bacteria that are commonly used in dairy product fermentation and as probiotic cultures. Lc. paracasei is a bacterium that operates by commensalism. It is commonly found in many human habitats such as human intestinal tracts and mouths as well as sewages, silages, and previously mentioned dairy products. The name includes morphology, a rod-shaped bacterium with a width of 2.0 to 4.0μm and length of 0.8 to 1.0μm.
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