Publications

4474

ABSTRACT “ Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” is the tick-borne agent of neoehrlichiosis, an infectious disease that primarily affects immunocompromised patients. So far, the genetic variability of “ Ca . Neoehrlichia” has been studied only by comparing 16S rRNA genes and groEL operon sequences. We describe the development and use of a multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) protocol to characterize the genetic diversity of clinical “ Ca . Neoehrlichia” strains in Europe and their relatedness to other species within the Anaplasmataceae family. Six genes were selected: ftsZ , clpB , gatB , lipA , groEL , and 16S rRNA. Each MLSA locus was amplified by real-time PCR, and the PCR products were sequenced. Phylogenetic trees of MLSA locus relatedness were constructed from aligned sequences. Blood samples from 12 patients with confirmed “ Ca . Neoehrlichia” infection from Sweden ( n = 9), the Czech Republic ( n = 2), and Germany ( n = 1) were analyzed with the MLSA protocol. Three of the Swedish strains exhibited identical lipA sequences, while the lipA sequences of the strains from the other nine patients were identical to each other. One of the Czech strains had one differing nucleotide in the clpB sequence from the sequences of the other 11 strains. All 12 strains had identical sequences for the genes 16S rRNA, ftsZ , gatB , and groEL . According to the MLSA, among the Anaplasmataceae , “ Ca . Neoehrlichia” is most closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium , less so to Anaplasma phagocytophilum , and least to Wolbachia endosymbionts. To conclude, three sequence types of infectious “ Ca . Neoehrlichia” were identified: one in the west of Sweden, one in the Czech Republic, and one spread throughout Europe.

The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of four Bordetella hinzii-like strains from human respiratory specimens and representing nrdA gene sequence based genogroups 3, 14 and 15 were examined. In a 16S rRNA gene sequence based phylogenetic tree, the four strains consistently formed a single coherent lineage but their assignment to the genus Bordetella was equivocal. The respiratory quinone, polar lipid and fatty acid profiles generally conformed to those of species of the genus Bordetella and were characterized by the presence of ubiquinone 8, of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and several aminolipids, and of high percentages of C16 : 0, cyclo-C17 : 0 and summed feature 2, as major chemotaxonomic marker molecules, respectively. The DNA G+C content was about 66 mol%, which corresponded with that of the high-percentage DNA G+C content genera of the family Alcaligenaceae including the genus Bordetella. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments revealed the presence of three distinct genomospecies and thus confirmed phenotypic differences as revealed by means of extensive biochemical characterization. We therefore propose to formally classify Bordetella genogroups 3, 14 and 15 as Bordetella bronchialis sp. nov. (type strain LMG 28640T = AU3182T = CCUG 56828T), Bordetella sputigena sp. nov. (type strain LMG 28641T = CCUG 56478T) and Bordetella flabilis sp. nov. (type strain LMG 28642T = AU10664T = CCUG 56827T). In addition, we propose to reclassify Achromobacter sediminum into the novel genus Verticia, as Verticia sediminum, gen. nov., comb. nov., on the basis of its unique phylogenetic position, its marine origin and its distinctive phenotypic, fatty acid and polar lipid profile.

rinjal is an important vegetable crop grown worldwide. A field survey conducted during 2012 in Kerala state of South India, the little leaf disease affected brinjal plant was observed in one of the home gardens located at Nemmara (Palakkad district). The diseased and healthy samples were collected; genomic DNA was isolated and 16SrRNA gene amplified by performing nested PCR using universal primers pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R2 respectively. The association of Phytoplasma was detected in all the three symptomatic brinjal samples and in Phytoplasma affected Periwinkle used as positive control. An expected amplicon size of 1250bp from nested PCR was purified and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence analysis (nBLAST) of 1250bp fragment of sequence KL-50(KP027530) revealed 97% similarity with Candidatus phytoplasma trifolii (JX104336). Phylogenetic analysis and study of virtual RFLP gel pattern of the sequence also revealed the association of Candidatus phytoplasma trifolii.

Apart from sharing the basic cellular features of otherBacteria, the cyanobacteria possess unique and diagnostic characteristics that will be briefly described here, but less extensively than in the 1989 edition ofBergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. The cell wall in cyanobacteria is of a Gram‐negative type. Cell division in most unicellular and colonial cyanobacteria and some filamentous forms is by binary fission. Regarding cell exterior and motility, fimbriae (or pili) occur abundantly with diverse patterns in many cyanobacteria. Although not all thylakoids in cyanobacteria appear to be invaginations of the cytoplasmic membrane, there are orderly “attachment points” or “thylakoid centers” associated with the periphery of the cytoplasm or the cytoplasmic membrane. In the cytoplasm of cyanobacteria there are many other components and “inclusions”, most of which can be visualized readily using various preparative techniques for transmission electron microscopy. They include glycogen granules, cyanophycin granules, carboxysomes (polyhedral bodies), polyphosphate (volutin) granules, and gas vacuoles. Heterocysts, akinetes, and hormogonia are some of the specialized cells and differentiation in Cyanobacteria. The chief physiological/biochemical characteristic of cyanobacteria, distinguishing them from all other procaryotes, is the dual photosystem that allows the use of H2O as photoreductant with the consequent liberation of O2. Two courses for the delimitation of genera have been followed by cyanobacterial specialists: (a) to retain “small” genera or (b) to gather many species into fewer genera.Cyanobacteria / General Characteristics of the Cyanobacteria

Abstract Fri'tsche.a. N.L. fem. n. Fritschea named after Thomas R. Fritsche, an American physician and parasitologist, in honor of his contributions to our current knowledge on chlamydial diversity. Coccoid to rod‐shaped, nonmotile, obligately intracellular bacteria, up to 2.5 μm in length . Cells show a developmental cycle with morphologically distinct stages similar to those of the Chlamydiaceae . Organisms were found in whitefly and scale insects, but have not yet been obtained in cell culture. The genus is based on the description of “ Candidatus Fritschea bemisiae” and “ Candidatus Fritschea eriococci” (Everett et al., 2005; Thao et al., 2003) (Figure 1). Type species : “ Candidatus Fritschea bemisiae ” Everett, Thao, Horn, Dyszynski and Baumann 2005, 1585. Taxonomic and Nomenclature Notes According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the taxonomic status of the genus Candidatus Fritschea is: preferred name (not correct name) (last update, February 2025) * . LPSN classification: Bacteria / Pseudomonadati / Chlamydiota / Chlamydiia / Chlamydiales / Simkaniaceae / Candidatus Fritschea Candidatus Fritschea could not be recovered in GTDB ** . * Meier‐Kolthoff et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D801 – D807 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902 ** Parks et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D785 – D794 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab776