Corynebacterium xerosis | |
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Gram stain of Corynebacterium xerosis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Actinomycetota |
Class: | Actinomycetia |
Order: | Mycobacteriales |
Family: | Corynebacteriaceae |
Genus: | Corynebacterium |
Species: | C. xerosis |
Binomial name | |
Corynebacterium xerosis | |
Corynebacterium xerosis is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium in the genus Corynebacterium . Although it is frequently a harmless commensal organism living on the skin and in the mucous membranes, C. xerosis is also a clinically relevant opportunistic pathogen that has been attributed to many different infections in animals and humans. [1] [2] However, its actual prominence in human medicine is up for debate due to early difficulties distinguishing it from other Corynebacterium species in clinical isolates.
The genome of C. xerosis is approximately 2.7 million base pairs long with over 2,000 genes encoding proteins and a high G+C content. [1] C. xerosis was found to contain a series of plasmids, one of which confers resistance to common antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline and was named pTP10. [3] This plasmid has since been introduced into Bacillus subtilis and modified to generate several vectors for molecular cloning purposes. [4] In addition to having resistance to many antibiotics itself, at least one strain of C. xerosis also appears capable of producing antimicrobial compounds. These can inhibit bacteria and fungi, but the strength of antimicrobial activity by this strain depends on the carbon sources available. [5] Also, a petroleum ether extract from C. xerosis was found to decrease the growth rate of tumors in mice, increasing their lifespan while being nontoxic to healthy mice. [6]
A study in 1967 confirmed the ability of several strains of C. xerosis to form single-layer "clumps" of cells around gas bubbles when cultures of the bacteria are suspended in buffer solutions at low temperatures with vigorous stirring. This property was attributed to cell surface proteins. [7]
Despite normally being a commensal organism, C. xerosis has been linked to many different opportunistic infections in humans and animals, including endocarditis, sepsis, abscesses, and osteomyelitis. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] However, it is possible that many early reports of this bacterium may have been cases of misidentification: a 1996 study found that out of 25 clinical isolates originally identified as C. xerosis, all were actually Corynebacterium amycolatum based on a number of biochemical tests which came back as different from the C. xerosis reference strain. [13] Similarly, there is also evidence that some infections attributed to C. xerosis may have been caused by Corynebacterium striatum. [14] Therefore, it is difficult to determine the actual extent of C. xerosis infections as reported in historic literature; however, modern sequencing and phenotypic analyses have allowed for more accurate identification of C. xerosis in clinical infections. [15]
Corynebacterium is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club-shaped, which inspired the genus name.
Streptococcus intermedius is an aerotolerant anaerobic commensal bacterium and a member of the Streptococcus anginosus group. The S. anginosus group, occasionally termed “Streptococcus milleri group” (SMG) display hemolytic and serologic diversity, yet share core physiological traits. Though the three members of the SMG are phenotypically diverse, one common trait they share is the mechanism of producing the metabolite diacetyl, which contributes to generating a signature caramel odor. Despite being commensal organisms, members of the S. anginosus group display wide pathogenic potential. S. intermedius has been isolated from patients with periodontitis and fatal purulent infections, especially brain and liver abscesses.
Streptococcus dysgalactiae is a gram positive, beta-haemolytic, coccal bacterium belonging to the family Streptococcaceae. It is capable of infecting both humans and animals, but is most frequently encountered as a commensal of the alimentary tract, genital tract, or less commonly, as a part of the skin flora. The clinical manifestations in human disease range from superficial skin-infections and tonsillitis, to severe necrotising fasciitis and bacteraemia. The incidence of invasive disease has been reported to be rising. Several different animal species are susceptible to infection by S. dysgalactiae, but bovine mastitis and infectious arthritis in lambs have been most frequently reported.
Brachyspira aalborgi is a species of bacteria, one of the causative agents of intestinal spirochetosis. Its cells are anaerobic, sigmoidal with tapered ends, 2 to 6 μm long. Four flagella are inserted at each end of the cells. The maximal cell width is about 0.2 μm. The type strain is 513A.
Corynebacterium amycolatum is a gram-positive, non-spore-forming, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacillus capable of fermentation with propionic acid as the major end product of its glucose metabolism. One of its best known relatives is Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the causative agent of diphtheria. C. amycolatum is a common component of the natural flora found on human skin and mucous membranes, and therefore is an occasional contaminant in human blood cultures but can rarely cause infections such as endocarditis.
Campylobacter concisus is a Gram-negative, highly fastidious, mesophilic bacterium that grows under both anaerobic and microaerobic conditions with the presence of hydrogen significantly aiding growth. Motile, with either unipolar or bipolar flagella, the organisms have a characteristic spiral/corkscrew appearance and are oxidase-positive. Although the human oral cavity is the natural colonization site of the bacterium, C. concisus may also colonize the intestinal tract of some individuals. In particular, several studies have reported higher intestinal prevalence of C. concisus in patients with IBD compared to healthy controls, which has led to current speculation of the bacterium's implication in the induction of Crohn's disease.
Lactobacillus gasseri is a species in the genus Lactobacillus identified in 1980 by François Gasser and his associates.
Enterococcus hirae is a species of Enterococcus. Its type strain is NCDO 1258. It is involved in growth depression in young chickens and endocarditis and sepsis in humans.
Brucella anthropi is a bacterium. Before 2020 it was listed as Ochrobactrum anthropi. This change in nomenclature has been disputed. The type strain is strain CIP 82.115. B. anthropi strains are rod-shaped, aerobic, gram-negative, non-pigmented and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. One strain is able to break down Piracetam.
Inquilinus limosus is a bacterium first isolated from cystic fibrosis patients' lungs, and is rarely observed elsewhere, prompting extensive research into its biology.
Acinetobacter schindleri is a species of bacteria. It is potentially pathogenic. Its type strain is LUH 5832T.
Laribacter hongkongensis is a species of bacteria. It is facultatively anaerobic, non-sporulating, gram-negative, seagull- or spiral rod-shaped. It is a potential human pathogen. Laribacter hongkongensis has been isolated from human cases of diarrhea, but its role in causing diarrhea is unproven, even though it has been hypothesized. Additional studies are needed to better define its role as a possible enteric pathogen. These should include: case control studies designed to differentiate infection from colonization-transient passage, fulfilling Koch's postulates and Bradford-Hill's criteria on association vs. causation, possible virulence factors, animal models, host factors, antibody responses based on serodiagnostic testing, and human volunteer studies. The lessons learned from trying to establish the etiological role of the bacteria genera Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, and Edwardsiella in human diarrhea seem especially applicable for Laribacter. All four genera are isolated from extraintestinal infections, are apparently found in the aquatic environment, and epidemiological associations include eating fish and foreign travel. Even after over 50 years’ experience with the former three genera their etiological role in an individual case of human diarrhea is difficult to determine without extensive studies. For all four of these genera the critical issue will be differentiating infection from colonization or transient passage in the intestine.
Arcobacter cibarius is a species of Gram-negative, rod-shaped, slightly curved, non-spore-forming bacteria. LMG 21996T is its type strain.
Rothia aeria is a Gram-positive bacterium.
Nakaseomyces bracarensis is an anamorphic yeast species with type strain 153MT.
Lactocillin is a thiopeptide antibiotic which is encoded for and produced by biosynthetic genes clusters in the bacteria Lactobacillus gasseri. Lactocillin was discovered and purified in 2014. Lactobacillus gasseri is one of the four Lactobacillus bacteria found to be most common in the human vaginal microbiome. Due to increasing levels of pathogenic resistance to known antibiotics, novel antibiotics are increasingly valuable. Lactocillin could function as a new antibiotic that could help people fight off infections that are resistant to many other antibiotics.
Globicatella sanguinis is a bacterium from the family of Globicatella. Globicatella sanguinis can cause in rare cases acute meningitis and urosepsis.
Corynebacterium striatum is a bacterium that is a member of the Corynebacterium genus. It is classified as non-diphtheritic. The bacterium is a gram-positive prokaryote that assumes a 'club-like' morphology, more formally known as a corynebacteria structure. It is non-lipophilic and undergoes aerobic respiration. It is a facultative anaerobe. It is catalase negative and is an oxidase positive glucose and sucrose fermenter.
Robin Patel is a Canadian born microbiologist and Elizabeth P. and Robert E. Allen Professor of Individualized Medicine, a Professor of Microbiology, and a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. She is widely recognized as a leader in the field of clinical microbiology and has held a variety of leadership positions including 2019–2020 President of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and Director of the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) Laboratory Center of the National institutes of Health. She is currently the Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, and Director of the Mayo Clinic's Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, where she studies biofilms, antimicrobial resistance, periprosthetic joint infection and diagnostic testing of bacteria.
Helicobacter cetorum is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral (helical) bacterium that is usually found in the stomachs of whales and dolphins. Based on 16S rRNA sequencing, its genome is very similar to that of Helicobacter pylori in that it can cause gastric disease in these animals. Originally isolated among Atlantic white-sided dolphins and Beluga whales in 2000, H. cetorum has been associated with hemorrhages throughout its entire gastrointestinal tract, but its role has not yet been discovered. Prior to the discovery of H. cetorum, there have not been any other Helicobacter species reported in dolphins.