1887

Microbiology Society logo

Volume 146, Issue 5

gen. nov., sp. nov. (), an endoparasite of the amoeba

The GenBank accession number for the sequence reported in this paper is AF177275.

Free

Abstract

Free-living amoebae are increasingly being recognized to serve as vehicles of dispersal for various bacterial human pathogens and as hosts for a variety of obligate bacterial endocytobionts. Several -like endocytobionts constituting the recently proposed family are of special interest as potential human pathogens. In this study coccoid bacterial endocytobionts of a isolate were analysed. Infection of with these bacteria resulted in prevention of cyst formation and subsequent host-cell lysis. Transfection experiments demonstrated that the parasites were not capable of propagating within other closely related free-living amoebae but were able to infect the distantly related species . Electron microscopy of the parasites revealed typical morphological characteristics of the , including the existence of a -like life-cycle, but indicated that these endocytobionts, in contrast to species, do not reside within a vacuole. Comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that the endocytobiont of , classified as gen. nov., sp. nov., is affiliated to the family . Confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with fluorescence hybridization using rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes confirmed the intracellular localization of the parasites and demonstrated the absence of other bacterial species within the host. These findings extend our knowledge of the phylogenetic diversity of the and demonstrate for the first time that these endocytobionts can naturally develop within amoebae of the genus .

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Revised:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): Chlamydia , EB, elementary body , endoparasite , FLA, free-living amoebae , Hartmannella , Neochlamydia hartmannellae , Parachlamydiaceae and RB, reticulate body
© Microbiology Society
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231
2000-05-01
2024-04-23
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/micro/146/5/1461231a.html?itemId=/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Alm E. W., Oerther D. B., Larsen N., Stahl D. A., Raskin L. 1996; The oligonucleotide probe database. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:3557–3559
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Amann R., Binder B. J., Olson R. J., Chisholm S. W., Devereux R., Stahl D. A. 1990; Combination of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes with flow cytometry for analyzing mixed microbial populations. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:1919–1925
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Amann R., Springer N., Schönhuber W., Ludwig W., Schmid E., Müller K., Michel R. 1997; Obligate intracellular bacterial parasites of Acanthamoebae related to Chlamydia spp. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:115–121
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Birtles R. J., Rowbotham T. J., Raoult D., Harrison T. G. 1996; Phylogenetic diversity of intra-amoebal legionellae as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison. Microbiology 142:3525–3530 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Birtles R. J., Rowbotham T. J., Storey C., Marrie T. J., Raoult D. 1997; Chlamydia-like obligate parasite of free-living amoebae. Lancet 349:925–926 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Daims H., Schleifer K.-H., Wagner M. 1999; Probe EUB338 is insufficient for the detection of all Bacteria: development and evaluation of a more comprehensive probe set. Syst Appl Microbiol 22:438–448
     [Google Scholar]
  7. De Jonckheere J. F. 1977; Use of an axenic medium for differentiation between pathogenic and non-pathogenic Naegleria fowleri isolates. Appl Environ Microbiol 33:751–757
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Everett K. D., Bush R. M., Andersen A. A. 1999; Emended description of the order Chlamydiales, proposal of Parachlamydiaceae fam. nov. and Simkaniaceae fam. nov., each containing one monotypic genus, revised taxonomy of the family Chlamydiaceae, including a new genus and five new species, and standards for the identification of organisms. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49:415–440 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Fritsche T. R., Gautom R. K., Seyedirashti S., Bergeron D. L., Lindquist T. D. 1993; Occurrence of bacteria endosymbionts in Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from corneal and environmental specimens and contact lenses. J Clin Microbiol 31:1122–1126
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Fritsche T. R., Sobek D., Gautom R. K. 1998; Enhancement of in vitro cytopathogenicity by Acanthamoeba spp. following acquisition of bacterial endosymbionts. FEMS Microbiol Lett 166:231–236 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Fritsche T. R., Horn M., Seyedirashti S., Gautom R. K., Schleifer K.-H., Wagner M. 1999; In situ detection of novel bacterial endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. phylogenetically related to members of the Rickettsiales. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:206–212
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Gautom R., Fritsche T. R. 1995; Transmissibility of bacterial endosymbionts between isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. J Eukaryot Microbiol 42:452–456 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Heckmann K., Görtz H.-D. 1992; Prokaryotic symbionts of ciliates. In The Prokaryotes pp. 3865–3890Edited by Balows A., Trüper H. G., Dworkin M., Harder W., Schleifer K.-H. New York & Heidelberg: Springer;
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Horn M., Fritsche T. R., Gautom R. K., Schleifer K.-H., Wagner M. 1999; Novel bacterial endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. related to the Paramecium caudatum symbiont Caedibacter caryophilus. Environ Microbiol 1:357–368 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Hugo E. R., Gast R. J., Byers T. J., Stewart V. J. 1992; Purification of amoeba mtDNA using the UNSET procedure. In Protocols in Protozoology pp. D7·1–7·2Edited by Lee J. J., Soldo A. T. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press;
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Kahane S., Everett K. D., Kimmel N., Friedman M. G. 1999; Simkania negevensis strain ZT: growth, antigenic and genome characteristics. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49:815–820 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Kilvington S., Price J. 1990; Survival of Legionella pneumophila within cysts of Acanthamoeba polyphaga following chlorine exposure. J Appl Bacteriol 68:519–525 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Ludwig W., Strunk O., Klugbauer S., Klugbauer N., Weizenegger M., Neumaier J., Bachleitner M., Schleifer K.-H. 1998; Bacterial phylogeny based on comparative sequence analysis. Electrophoresis 19:554–568 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Manz W., Amann R., Ludwig W., Wagner M., Schleifer K.-H. 1992; Phylogenetic oligonucleotide probes for the major subclasses of Proteobacteria: problems and solutions. Syst Appl Microbiol 15:593–600 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Michel R., Hauröder-Philippczyk B., Müller K. D., Weishaar I. 1994; Acanthamoeba from human nasal mucosa infected with an obligate intracellular parasite. Eur J Protistol 30:104–110 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Michel R., Müller K. D., Schmid E. N. 1995; Ehrlichia-like organisms (KSL1) observed as obligate intracellular parasites of Saccamoeba species. Endocytobiosis Cell Res 11:69–80
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Ossewaarde J., Meijer A. 1999; Molecular evidence for the existence of additional members of the order Chlamydiales. Microbiology 145:411–417 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Page F. C. 1988 A New Key to Freshwater and Soil Gymnamoebae Ambleside, UK: Freshwater Biological Association;
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Preer J. R. Jr, Preer L. B. 1984; Endosymbionts of protozoa. In Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology pp. 795–811Edited by Krieg N. R., Holt J. G. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins;
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Pudjiatmoko, Fukushi H., Ochial Y., Yamaguchi T., Hirai K. 1997; Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chlamydia based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Int J Syst Bacteriol 47:425–431 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Rodriguez-Zaragoza S. 1994; Ecology of free living amoebae. Crit Rev Microbiol 20:225–241 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Rurangirwa F. R., Dilbeck P. M., Crawford T. B., McGuire T. C., McElwain T. F. 1999; Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of microorganism WSU 86-1044 from an aborted bovine foetus reveals that it is a member of the order Chlamydiales: proposal of Waddliaceae fam. nov., Waddlia chondrophila gen. nov., sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49:577–581 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Sanger F. N. S., Coulson A. R. 1977; DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 7:5463–5467
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Springer N., Ludwig W., Amann R., Schmidt H. J., Görtz H.-D., Schleifer K.-H. 1993; Occurrence of fragmented 16S rRNA in an obligate bacterial endosymbiont of Paramecium caudatum. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:9892–9895 [CrossRef]
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Steinert M., Birkness K., White E., Fields B., Quinn F. 1998; Mycobacterium avium bacilli grow saprozoically in coculture with Acanthamoeba polyphaga and survive within cyst walls. Appl Environ Microbiol 64:2256–2261
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Visvesvara G. S. 1995; Pathogenic and opportunistic free-living amebae. In Manual of Clinical Microbiology pp. 1196–1203Edited by Murray P. R. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology;
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231
Loading
Neochlamydia hartmannellae gen. nov., sp. nov. (Parachlamydiaceae), an endoparasite of the amoeba Hartmannella vermiformisThe GenBank accession number for the sequence reported in this paper is AF177275.
Microbiology 146, 1231 (2000); https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-5-1231
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Most cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error