Verminephrobacter | |
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Genus: | Verminephrobacter Pinel et al. 2012 [1] |
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Verminephrobacter is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria that colonize the nephridia of earthworms within the family Lumbricidae. The first species in the genus, V. eiseniae, was isolated from the earthworm Eisenia foetida , and its description published in 2008. [2] Their closest free-living relatives are bacteria of the genus Acidovorax .
Reports of bacteria inhabiting the nephridia of earthworms first appeared in 1926. [3] Their approximate identity was determined in 2003. [4] While the function of the bacteria inside the nephridia remains unknown, several lines of evidence suggest this association as a stable symbiosis. Chiefly among them is the vertical transmission of the bacteria, meaning that the bacteria are deposited by the parent earthworm inside the egg-capsule, and colonize the developing embryo via specialized anatomical features. [5] Colonization of the nephridia cannot occur after the eggs hatch. [6] DNA belonging to members of the genus has not been recovered from surveys of soil samples even in the presence of high densities of earthworms, suggesting that Verminephrobacter species are confined to their earthworm hosts. Observations for comparative analyses of the genome sequence of V. eiseniae suggest that this organisms shares features associated with the transition from a free-living to a host-associated lifestyle. [7]
An endosymbiont or endobiont is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism most often, though not always, in a mutualistic relationship. (The term endosymbiosis is from the Greek: ἔνδον endon "within", σύν syn "together" and βίωσις biosis "living".) Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which live in the root nodules of legumes; single-cell algae inside reef-building corals, and bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients to about 10–15% of insects.
Deinococcus–Thermus is a phylum of bacteria that are highly resistant to environmental hazards, also known as extremophiles. These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them gram-positive stains, but they include a second membrane and so are closer in structure to those of gram-negative bacteria. Cavalier-Smith calls this clade Hadobacteria.
Acidobacteria is a phylum of bacteria. Its members are physiologically diverse and ubiquitous, especially in soils, but are under-represented in culture.
The Chlamydiae are bacterial phylum and class whose members are a group of obligate intracellular bacteria, whose members are remarkably diverse, ranging from pathogens of humans and animals to symbionts of ubiquitous protozoa. They are ovoid in shape and stain Gram-negative. Historically it was believed that all Chlamydiae species had a peptidoglycan-free cell wall, but recent work demonstrates a detectable presence of peptidoglycan, as well as other important proteins. Many species belonging to this order are susceptible to antimicrobial agents. All known Chlamydiae only grow by infecting eukaryotic host cells. They are as small as or smaller than many viruses. They are dependent on replication inside the host cells, thus some species are termed obligate intracellular pathogens and others are symbionts of ubiquitous protozoa. Most intracellular Chlamydiae are located in an inclusion body or vacuole. Outside cells, they survive only as an extracellular infectious form. Chlamydiae can grow only where their host cells grow, and develop according to a characteristic biphasic developmental cycle. Therefore, Chlamydiae cannot be propagated in bacterial culture media in the clinical laboratory. Chlamydiae are most successfully isolated while still inside their host cells. Chlamydiae is the most common bacterial STD in the United States and 2.86 million chlamydiae infections are reported annually.
Wolbachia is a genus of gram-negative bacteria that infects arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, and also some nematodes. It is one of the most common parasitic microbes and is possibly the most common reproductive parasite in the biosphere. Its interactions with its hosts are often complex, and in some cases have evolved to be mutualistic rather than parasitic. Some host species cannot reproduce, or even survive, without Wolbachia colonisation. One study concluded that more than 16% of neotropical insect species carry bacteria of this genus, and as many as 25 to 70% of all insect species are estimated to be potential hosts.
The Rhizobiales are an order of Gram-negative Alphaproteobacteria.
Eisenia fetida, known under various common names such as redworm, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm, red wiggler worm, etc., is a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure. They are epigean, rarely found in soil. In this trait, they resemble Lumbricus rubellus.
Micrococcus is a genus of bacteria in the Micrococcaceae family. Micrococcus occurs in a wide range of environments, including water, dust, and soil. Micrococci have Gram-positive spherical cells ranging from about 0.5 to 3 micrometers in diameter and typically appear in tetrads. They are catalase positive, oxidase positive, indole negative and citrate negative. Micrococcus has a substantial cell wall, which may comprise as much as 50% of the cell mass. The genome of Micrococcus is rich in guanine and cytosine (GC), typically exhibiting 65 to 75% GC-content. Micrococci often carry plasmids that provide the organism with useful traits.
Alphaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Proteobacteria. Its members are highly diverse and possess few commonalities, but nevertheless share a common ancestor. Like all Proteobacteria, its members are gram-negative and some of its intracellular parasitic members lack peptidoglycan and are consequently gram variable.
Midichloria is a genus of Gram-negative, nonspore-forming bacteria, with a bacillus shape around 0.45 µm in diameter and 1.2 µm in length. First described in 2004 with the temporary name IricES1, Midichloria species are symbionts of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus. They live in the cells of the ovary of the females of this tick species. These bacteria have been observed in the mitochondria of the host cells, a trait that has never been described in any other symbiont of animals.
Cupriavidus metallidurans strain CH34 (renamed from Ralstonia metallidurans and previously known as Ralstonia eutropha and Alcaligenes eutrophus) is a non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium which is adapted to survive several forms of heavy metal stress. Therefore, it is an ideal subject to study heavy metal disturbance of cellular processes. This bacterium shows a unique combination of advantages not present in this form in other bacteria.
Olavius algarvensis is a species of gutless oligochaete worm in the family Tubificidae which depends on symbiotic bacteria for its nutrition.
Arsenophonus nasoniae is a species of bacterium which was previously isolated from Nasonia vitripennis, a species of parasitoid wasp. These wasps are generalists which afflict the larvae of parasitic carrion flies such as blowflies, houseflies and flesh flies. A. nasoniae belongs to the phylum Proteobacteria and family Morganellaceae.The genus Arsenophonus, has a close relationship to the Proteus (bacterium) rather than to that of Salmonella and Escherichia. The genus is composed of gammaproteobacterial, secondary-endosymbionts which are gram-negative. Cells are non-flagellated, non-motile, non-spore forming and form long to highly filamentous rods. Cellular division is exhibited through septation. The name 'Arsenophonus nasoniae gen. nov., sp. nov.' was therefore proposed for the discovered bacterium due to its characteristics and its microbial interaction with N. vitripennis. The type strain of A. nasoniae is Strain SKI4.
Paracatenula is a genus of millimeter sized free-living marine gutless catenulid flatworms.
Thorselliaceae is a family of bacteria belonging to the class Gammaproteobacteria and it was first described in February 2015. It is not assigned to an order. The family consists of four species in two genera. The bacteria are Gram-negative and rod shaped, approximately 1 μm wide and 2 μm long. They are facultative anaerobes and motile. Thorselliaceae bacteria have been found around the world associated with vector mosquitoes, mainly with vectors of malaria.
The initial acquisition of microbiota is the formation of an organism's microbiota immediately before and after birth. The microbiota are all the microorganisms including bacteria, archaea and fungi that colonize the organism. The microbiome is another term for microbiota or can refer to the collected genomes.
Desulfovibrio desulfuricans is a Gram-negative sulfate-reducing bacteria. It is generally found in soils, waters, and the stools of animals, although in rare cases it has been found to cause infection in humans. It is particularly noted for its ability to produce methyl mercury. Since these bacteria are killed by exposure to atmospheric oxygen, the environmental niches most frequently occupied by these bacteria are anaerobic. Desulfovibrio desulfuricans 27774 was reported to produce gene transfer agents
Dokdonia donghaensis is a strictly aerobic, gram-negative, phototrophic bacterium that thrives in marine environments. The organism can grow at a broad range of temperatures on seawater media. It has the ability to form biofilms, which increases the organism’s resistance to antimicrobial agents, such as tetracycline.
Lysenin is a pore-forming toxin (PFT) present in the coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. Pore-forming toxins are a group of proteins that act as virulence factors of several pathogenic bacteria. Following the general mechanism of action of PFTs lysenin is segregated as a soluble monomer that binds specifically to a membrane receptor, sphingomyelin in the case of lysenin. After attaching to the membrane, the oligomerization begins, resulting in a nonamer on top of membrane, known as a prepore. After a conformational change, which could be triggered by a decrease of pH, the oligomer is inserted into the membrane in the so-called pore state.
Vertical transmission of symbionts is the transfer of a microbial symbiont from the parent directly to the offspring. Many metazoan species carry symbiotic bacteria which play a mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic role. A symbiont is acquired by a host via horizontal, vertical, or mixed transmission.