NTU Undergraduates' research April 2014 - Biosciences | Page 18

N0364217

Diversity and biomarkers of neonatal bacterial
pathogen Cronobacter.
Abstract
Background: Cronobacter spp. a developing pathogen in the Enterobacteriaceae family. This family is
composed of 10 species C. sakazakii, C. turcensis, C. pulveris, C. condementi, C. muytjensii, C.
malonaticus, C. dublinensis, C. universalis, C. helveticus and C. zurichensis .They are Gram negative
rods that cause; meningitis, septicaemia, brain abscess and necrotising enterocolitis in neonates. C.
zurichensis, C. helveticus and C. pulveris are newly reclassified species with their pathogenicity still
unknown. Therefore, not much has been published on these strains and further investigations are
needed and revise results from previous papers. Each of these strains have a range of virulence traits
allowing these strains to cause pathogenicity.
Results: Sialic acid utilisation tests revealed that C. sakazakii 1 and C. zurichensis 1974 are able to
take up sialic acid, confirming previous studies on C. sakazakii species and opening further
investigation on C. zurichensis.