Anne Le Fleche

Characterization of Borrelia lusitaniae sp. nov. by 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis

We determined the complete sequence of the rrs gene from five strains of genomic species PotiB2. Both distance and parsimony methods were used to infer the evolutionary relationships of the rrs gene sequence of this genomic species in comparison with the rrs gene sequence of Borrelia valaisiana and the rrs gene sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species obtained from sequence databases. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genomic species PotiB2 strains clustered in a separate lineage, which was consistent with data from previous DNA-DNA hybridization experiments (D. Postic, M. V. Assous, P. A. D. Grimont, and G. Baranton, Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 44:743-752, 1994). A PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to identify genomic species PotiB2 and to differentiate it from B. burgdorferi sensu lato species. Moreover, signature nucleotide positions were identified for each B. burgdorferi sensu lato species. In accordance with DNA relatedness values, our findings suggest that genomic species PotiB2 can be more clearly defined and identified, and we propose that it should be referred to as a new species, Borrelia lusitaniae. The type strain is PotiB2.

Corynebacterium ulcerans in an Immunocompromised Patient with Diphtheria and Her Dog

ABSTRACT Corynebacterium ulcerans causes zoonotic infections, such as diphtheria and extrapharyngeal infections. We report here the first case of a diphtheria-like illness caused by C. ulcerans in France and transmitted likely by a dog to an immunocompromised woman.

Diversity and assessment of potential risk factors of Gram-negative isolates associated with French cheeses.

The goal of this study was to identify at the species level a large collection of Gram-negative dairy bacteria isolated from milks or semi-hard and soft, smear-ripened cheeses (cheese core or surface samples) from different regions of France. The isolates were then assessed for two risk factors, antibiotic resistance and volatile and non-volatile biogenic amine production in vitro. In total, 173 Gram-negative isolates were identified by rrs and/or rpoB gene sequencing. A large biodiversity was observed with nearly half of all Gram-negative isolates belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Overall, 26 different genera represented by 68 species including potential new species were identified among the studied Gram-negative isolates for both surface and milk or cheese core samples. The most frequently isolated genera corresponded to Pseudomonas, Proteus, Psychrobacter, Halomonas and Serratia and represented almost 54% of the dairy collection. After Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, Enterobacter and Stenotrophomonas were the most frequently isolated genera found in cheese core and milk samples while Proteus, Psychrobacter, Halomonas and Serratia were the most frequently isolated genera among surface samples. Antibiotic resistance profiles indicated that resistances to the aminosid, imipemen and quinolon were relatively low while more than half of all tested isolates were resistant to antibiotics belonging to the monobactam, cephem, fosfomycin, colistin, phenicol, sulfamid and some from the penam families. Thirty-six% of isolates were negative for in vitro biogenic amine production. Among biogenic amine-producers, cadaverine was the most frequently produced followed by isoamylamine, histamine and putrescine. Only low levels (<75 mg/l) of tyramine were detected in vitro.

Bacteremia Caused by Acinetobacter ursingii

ABSTRACT Acinetobacter ursingii has not been reported in infectious processes apart from its recent description as a new species. A bacteremia caused by A. ursingii in a patient with a pulmonary adenocarcinoma confirms that this microorganism is an opportunistic human pathogen. The isolate was susceptible to imipenem, aminoglycosides, rifampin, and fluoroquinolones.

Bacteremia Caused by an Undescribed Species of Janibacter

ABSTRACT A yellow-pigmented rod- to coccoid-shaped coryneform microorganism was isolated from the blood of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. It was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as a previously undescribed species of Janibacter. The isolate was susceptible to penicillins, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and glycopeptides.

Endocarditis Due to a New Rod-Shaped Neisseria sp.

ABSTRACT We report the first case of pacemaker endocarditis due to a new rod-shaped Neisseria sp. isolated from blood culture. On the basis of rrs sequencing, the isolate was found to be most closely related to an uncultured organism from human subgingival plaque and was identified as Neisseria sp. group AK105. A cure was achieved after a combination of surgical and antibiotic treatment. Oral flora-induced pacemaker endocarditis is a rare condition that reinforces the need for good oral hygiene as an important preventive measure.