Carine Couderc

Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Alistipes obesi sp. nov.

Alistipes obesi sp. nov. strain ph8T is the type strain of A. obesi, a new species within the genus Alistipes. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a 26-year-old woman suffering from morbid obesity. A. obesi is an obligately anaerobic rod. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 3,162,233 bp long genome (1 chromosome but no plasmid) contains 2,623 protein-coding and 49 RNA genes, including three rRNA genes.

Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Senegalemassilia anaerobia gen. nov., sp. nov.

Senegalemassilia anaerobia strain JC110T sp.nov. is the type strain of Senegalemassilia anaerobia gen. nov., sp. nov., the type species of a new genus within the Coriobacteriaceae family, Senegalemassilia gen. nov. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a healthy Senegalese patient. S. anaerobia is a Gram-positive anaerobic coccobacillus. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,383,131 bp long genome contains 1,932 protein-coding and 58 RNA genes.

Rapid and cost-effective identification of Bartonella species using mass spectrometry.

Bacteria of the genus Bartonella are emerging zoonotic bacteria recognized in a variety of human diseases. Due to their poor chemical reactivity, these fastidious bacteria are poorly characterized using routine phenotypic laboratory tests. Identification is usually achieved using molecular techniques that are time-consuming, expensive and technically demanding. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has emerged as a new technique for bacterial species identification. This study evaluated the use of MALDI-TOF MS for rapid genus and species identification of Bartonella species. Reference strains representing 17 recognized Bartonella species were studied. For each species, MS spectra for four colonies were analysed. The consensus spectrum obtained for each species was unique among spectra obtained for 2843 bacteria within the Bruker database, including 109 alphaproteobacteria. Thirty-nine additional blind-coded Bartonella strains were correctly identified at the species level, including 36 with a significant score. Altogether, these data demonstrate that MS is an accurate and reproducible tool for rapid and inexpensive identification of Bartonella species.

Rapid identification of Legionella species by mass spectrometry

Legionella species are facultative, intracellular bacteria that infect macrophages and protozoa, with the latter acting as transmission vectors to humans. These fastidious bacteria mostly cause pulmonary tract infections and are routinely identified by various molecular methods, mainly PCR targeting the mip gene and sequencing, which are expensive and time-consuming. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) has emerged as a rapid and inexpensive method for identification of bacterial species. This study evaluated the use of MALDI-TOF-MS for rapid species and serogroup identification of 21 Legionella species recognized as human pathogens. To this end, a reference MS database was developed including 59 Legionella type strains, and a blind test was performed using 237 strains from various species. Two hundred and twenty-three of the 237 strains (94.1 %) were correctly identified at the species level, although ten (4.2 %) were identified with a score lower than 2.0. Fourteen strains (5.9 %) from eight species were misidentified at the species level, including seven (3.0 %) with a significant score, suggesting an intraspecific variability of protein profiles within some species. MALDI-TOF-MS was reproducible but could not identify Legionella strains at the serogroup level. When compared with mip gene sequencing, MALDI-TOF-MS exhibited a sensitivity of 99.2 and 89.9 % for the identification of Legionella strains at the genus and species level, respectively. This study demonstrated that MALDI-TOF-MS is a reliable tool for the rapid identification of Legionella strains at the species level.

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence and description of Brevibacillus massiliensis sp. nov.

Brevibacillus massiliensis strain phRT sp. nov. is the type strain of B. massiliensis sp. nov., a new species within the genus Brevibacillus. This strain was isolated from the fecal flora of a woman suffering from morbid obesity. B. massiliensis is a Gram-positive aerobic rod-shaped bacterium. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 5,051,018 bp long genome (1 chromosome but no plasmid) contains 5,051 protein-coding and 84 RNA genes, and exhibits a G+C content of 53.1%.

Non contiguous-finished genome sequence and description of Enorma massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the Family Coriobacteriaceae

Enorma massiliensis strain phIT is the type strain of E. massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., the type species of a new genus within the family Coriobacteriaceae, Enorma gen. nov. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a 26-year-old woman suffering from morbid obesity. E. massiliensis strain phIT is a Gram-positive, obligately anaerobic bacillus. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,280,571 bp long genome (1 chromosome but no plasmid) exhibits a G+C content of 62.0% and contains 1,901 protein-coding and 51 RNA genes, including 3 rRNA genes.

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence and description of Megasphaera massiliensis sp. nov.

Megasphaera massiliensis strain NP3T sp. nov. is the type strain of Megasphaera massiliensis sp. nov., a new species within the genus Megasphaera. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of an HIV-infected patient. M. massiliensis is a Gram-negative, obligate anaerobic coccobacillus. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,661,757 bp long genome (1 chromosome but no plasmid) contains 2,577 protein-coding and 61 RNA genes, including 5 rRNA genes.

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence and description of Kallipyga massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Clostridiales Incertae Sedis XI

Kallipyga massiliensis strain ph2T is the type strain of Kallipyga massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., the type species of the new genus Kallipyga within the family Clostridiales Incertae Sedis XI. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a 26-year-old woman suffering from morbid obesity. K. massiliensis is an obligate anaerobic coccus. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 1,770,679 bp long genome (1 chromosome but no plasmid) contains 1,575 protein-coding and 50 RNA genes, including 4 rRNA genes.

Comparing inactivation protocols of Yersinia organisms for identification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE It is recommended that harmful Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) bacteria be inactivated prior to identification by mass spectrometry, yet optimal effects of inactivation protocol have not been defined. METHODS Here, we compare trifluoroacetic acid inactivation (protocol A) with ethanol inactivation (protocol B) of Yersinia organisms prior to identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). RESULTS The total number of peaks detected was 10.5 ± 1.7 for protocol A and 15.7 ± 4.2 for protocol B (ρ <0.001, ANOVA test). The signal-to-noise ratio for the m/z 6049 peak present in all of the tested Yersinia isolates was 9.7 ± 3.1 for protocol A and 18.1 ± 4.6 for protocol B (ρ < 0.001). Compared with spectra in our local database containing 48 Yersinia spp., including 20 strains of Y. pestis, the identification score was 1.79 ± 0.2 for protocol A and 1.97 ± 0.19 for protocol B (ρ = 0.0024). CONCLUSIONS Our observations indicate that for the identification of Yersinia organisms, ethanol inactivation yielded MALDI-TOF-MS spectra of significantly higher quality than spectra derived from trifluoroacetic acid inactivation. Combined with previously published data, our results permit the updating of protocols for inactivating BSL-3 bacteria.

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence and description of Collinsella massiliensis sp. nov.

Collinsella massiliensis strain GD3T is the type strain of Collinsella massiliensis sp. nov., a new species within the genus Collinsella. This strain, whose genome is described here, was isolated from the fecal flora of a 53-year-old French Caucasoid woman who had been admitted to intensive care unit for Guillain-Barré syndrome. Collinsella massiliensis is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, non motile and non sporulating bacillus. Here, we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The genome is 2,319,586 bp long (1 chromosome, no plasmid), exhibits a G+C content of 65.8% and contains 2,003 protein-coding and 54 RNA genes, including 1 rRNA operon.