Arcobacter butzleri.(In brief)

If the little-known microbe Arcobacter butzleri has contaminated the water you drink or the food you eat, this troublesome pathogen could make you sick. But recent research efforts may speed the discovery of innovative ways to control this microbe.

In 2007, investigators deciphered the sequence of the pathogen's genetic material, or genome. This work was a scientific first for any of the world's Arcobacters. Since then, the scientists have used the genomic data in developing a typing method to differentiate A. butzleri from similar species, and to distinguish specific strains within those species. Medical professionals, public health agencies and researchers can use the technique when they're tracking the source of foodborne-illness outbreaks. In the past, for example, A. butzleri has been implicated as a cause of such outbreaks in Europe and Southeast Asia. By comparing A. butzleri's genetic makeup to that of other microbes, researchers can learn more about how it's related to them. Such comparisons are important. They may yield clues to A. butzleri's survival strategies and, perhaps more importantly, to previously unknown vulnerabilities that scientists could exploit to keep food and water safe.

Contact: William G. Miller, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710. Phone 510-559-599. Fax: 510-559-6162. Email: william.miller@ars.usda.gov.

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