Raoult, Didier

To improve the knowledge base of Borrelia in north Africa, we tested 257 blood samples collected from febrile patients in Oran, Algeria, between January and December 2012 for Borrelia species using flagellin gene polymerase chain reaction sequencing. A sequence indicative of a new Borrelia sp. named Candidatus Borrelia algerica was detected in one blood sample. Further multispacer sequence typing indicated this Borrelia sp. had 97% similarity with Borrelia crocidurae, Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia recurrentis. In silico comparison of Candidatus B. algerica spacer sequences with those of Borrelia hispanica and Borrelia garinii revealed 94% and 89% similarity, respectively. Candidatus B. algerica is a new relapsing fever Borrelia sp. detected in Oran. Further studies may help predict its epidemiological importance.

Summary Amoeba‐resisting bacteria (ARB) such as Legionella spp. are currently regarded as potential human pathogens living in the environment. To detect ARB from both human and environmental samples, co‐culture with amoebae has been demonstrated as an efficient tool. However, using this procedure, mostly water from cooling towers and hospital water supplies have been investigated as the possible reservoir of ARB. In the present study, we studied ARB population in 77 environmental water samples including rivers, fountains, lakes and domestic wells in the south of France. As a result, a total of 244 isolates corresponding to 89 different species of ARB, but not Legionella spp., were identified. Ability to grow within and/or to be lytic for amoebae was revealed for the first time for several human pathogens . Six isolates are likely to be the members of a new or uncharacterized genus/species. An anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium frigidicarnis was demonstrated to be lytic for amoebae. This preliminary work demonstrates that the water environment in the vicinity of humans is a reservoir of ARB, including well‐known pathogens for which amoebae and/or water was not recognized earlier as a possible reservoir.

ABSTRACT The 16S rRNA gene PCR in the diagnosis of bone and joint infections has not been systematically tested. Five hundred twenty-five bone and joint samples collected from 525 patients were cultured and submitted to 16S rRNA gene PCR detection of bacteria in parallel. The amplicons with mixed sequences were also cloned. When discordant results were observed, culture and PCR were performed once again. Bacteria were detected in 139 of 525 samples. Culture and 16S rRNA gene PCR yielded identical documentation in 475 samples. Discrepancies were linked to 13 false-positive culture results, 5 false-positive PCR results, 9 false-negative PCR results, 16 false-negative culture results, and 7 mixed infections. Cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons in 6 of 8 patients with mixed infections identified 2 to 8 bacteria per sample. Rarely described human pathogens such as Alcaligenes faecalis , Comamonas terrigena , and 21 anaerobes were characterized. We also detected, by 16S rRNA gene PCR, four previously identified bacteria never reported in human infection, Alkanindiges illinoisensis , dehydroabietic acid-degrading bacterium DhA-73, unidentified Hailaer soda lake bacterium, and uncultured bacterium clone HuCa4. Seven organisms representing new potential species were also detected. PCR followed by cloning and sequencing may help to identify new pathogens involved in mixed bone infection.

Abstract: We collected 209 Ixodes persulcatus ticks in various regions of Russia, including the southern Urals and western and eastern Siberia. Using PCR amplification and sequencing of the citrate synthase‐encoding gene (gltA), we detected a new rickettsial genotype, which we named ‘Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae.’ This bacterium was found in 9.27%, 10.0%, and 20.5% of the ticks collected in western Siberia, eastern Siberia, and the southern Urals, respectively. ‘Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae’ exhibited a 98% and 96% nucleotide sequence homology, with the 16S rDNA and gltA sequence, respectively, of R. canadensis, a rickettsia previously only found in Haemaphysalis leporispalustris ticks in North America. The phylogenetic analysis of ‘Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae’ and other Rickettsia species allowed the creation of a new cluster with high bootstrap values within the Rickettsia genus involving this rickettsia, R. canadensis, and three uncultured rickettsiae from plant insects.

ABSTRACT We report on a new Actinobaculum species, “ Actinobaculum massiliae ,” isolated from the urine of an elderly woman with recurrent cystitis. Its phenotypic pattern was similar to those of both of the other Actinobaculum species described to date. On 16S rRNA sequencing, the Marseille isolate shared 95% homology with Actinobaculum suis , 92 to 93% homology with Actinobaculum schaalii , 91 to 92% homology with Arcanobacterium spp., and 87 to 90% homology with Actinomyces species. A bootstrap value of 99% supports the node separating the Actinobaculum sp. from its closest neighbor ( A. suis ). In conclusion, on the basis of phenotypic, genotypic, and phylogenetic assessments, we show that the Marseille isolate is a previously unrecognized organism within the Actinobaculum genus, and we propose placement of the organism in the taxon “ Actinobaculum massiliae .”