Treponema ruminis sp. nov., a spirochaete isolated from the bovine rumen

• DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001812
• Publication Date: 2017-01-23T20:24:51Z
• Authors: Kerry Newbrook; Gareth J Staton; Simon R Clegg; Richard J Birtles; Stuart D Carter; Nicholas J Evans
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; esterase; beta galactosidase; RecA protein; spirochete; phylogeny; 630; C530 - Bacteriology; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; animal; genetics; D711 - Agricultural microbiology; Phylogeny; rumen; Base Composition; bovine; Bacterial; enzyme activity; Bacterial Typing Techniques; 3. Good health; classification; priority journal; bacterium identification; Sequence Analysis; DNA, Bacterial; 16S; 570; Rumen; RNA 16S; DNA sequence; gene sequence; Article; 03 medical and health sciences; male; Animals; Treponema; aryl acylamidase; Ribosomal; nonhuman; beta glucosidase; DNA base composition; isolation and purification; bacterium isolate; bacterial flagellum; microbiology; nucleotide sequence; DNA; Sequence Analysis, DNA; triacylglycerol lipase; United Kingdom; bacterial DNA; Treponema ruminis; RNA; C522 - Veterinary microbiology; Cattle

A novel bacterium, strain Ru1T, was encountered during a survey of spirochaetes living in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence data indicated that strain Ru1T clustered within the genus Treponemabut shared at most 86.1 % sequence similarity with other recognised species of the genus Treponema. Further phylogenetic analysis based on partial recombinase A (recA) gene sequence comparisons, together with phenotypic characterization, also demonstrated the divergence of strain Ru1T from other recognised species of the genus Treponema. Microscopically, strain Ru1T appeared as a very small, highly motile, helical spirochaete with eight periplasmic flagella in a 4 : 8 : 4 arrangement. It exhibited C8 esterase lipase, leucine arylamidase, β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase activity. A distinctive, serum-independent growth pattern was also observed, characterized by colonies with an absence of the local haemolysis that is typical of many pathogenic treponemes. On the basis of these data, strain Ru1T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Treponema, for which the name Treponema ruminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Ru1T (=DSM 103462T=NCTC 13847T).