Ryohei Nomoto

Reappraisal of the taxonomy of Streptococcus suis serotypes 20, 22, 26, and 33 based on DNA–DNA homology and sodA and recN phylogenies

To date, Streptococcus suis was divided into thirty-three serotypes based on its polysaccharide capsular antigens. Although 16S rRNA sequence similarities of serotypes 20, 22, 26, and 33 reference strains to the type strain NCTC 10234(T) were below the threshold value of 98.5% to assign them to S. suis species, no strong evidence support to reclassification. Here, their taxonomic identities were determined by DNA-DNA hybridization assays and by partial sequencing of the sodA and recN genes. Our results confirmed that the serotype 20, 22, 26, and 33 reference strains were distantly related to the type strain NCTC 10234(T) and the whole sequence strain P1/7 of S. suis. Moreover, the reference strains of serotypes 20, 22, and 26 were closely related to each other but distinct from the serotype 33 reference strain. Sequencing analyses of sodA and recN of a total 33 serotype reference strains showed that the serotype 20, 22, and 26 reference strains and the serotype 33 reference strain did not fall with not only other serotypes of S. suis, but also other streptococcal species (63 strains of 56 species for sodA and 87 strains of 55 species for recN). The evidence further substantiates the view that the reference strains of serotypes 20, 22, 26 and 33 should be taxonomically removed from S. suis, although their taxonomic designations and determinative phenotypic characteristics are yet to be addressed.

Reappraisal of the taxonomy of Streptococcus suis serotypes 20, 22 and 26: Streptococcus parasuis sp. nov.

In order to clarify the taxonomic position of serotypes 20, 22 and 26 of Streptococcus suis, biochemical and molecular genetic studies were performed on isolates (SUT-7, SUT-286(T), SUT-319, SUT-328 and SUT-380) reacted with specific antisera of serotypes 20, 22 or 26 from the saliva of healthy pigs as well as reference strains of serotypes 20, 22 and 26. Comparative recN gene sequencing showed high genetic relatedness among our isolates, but marked differences from the type strain S. suis NCTC 10234(T), i.e. 74.8-75.7 % sequence similarity. The genomic relatedness between the isolates and other strains of species of the genus Streptococcus, including S. suis, was calculated using the average nucleotide identity values of whole genome sequences, which indicated that serotypes 20, 22 and 26 should be removed taxonomically from S. suis and treated as a novel genomic species. Comparative sequence analysis revealed 99.0-100 % sequence similarities for the 16S rRNA genes between the reference strains of serotypes 20, 22 and 26, and our isolates. Isolate STU-286(T) had relatively high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with S. suis NCTC 10234(T) (98.8 %). SUT-286(T) could be distinguished from S. suis and other closely related species of the genus Streptococcus using biochemical tests. Due to its phylogenetic and phenotypic similarities to S. suis we propose naming the novel species Streptococcus parasuis sp. nov., with SUT-286(T) ( = JCM 30273(T) = DSM 29126(T)) as the type strain.

Development of an appropriate PCR system for the reclassification of Streptococcus suis.

Thirty-five serotypes of Streptococcus suis (serotypes 1-34 and serotype 1/2) have so far been described on the basis of their polysaccharide capsular antigens. However, in the last decade, some serotype reference strains have been reexamined for their taxonomic status, and the reference strains of serotypes 20, 22, 26, 32, 33, and 34 may be different from taxon S. suis. In the present study, we developed a novel PCR method targeting the recombination/repair protein (recN) gene of S. suis, designated recN PCR, which corresponds to the current reclassification of this bacterium. We compared its specificity with other PCR methods for S. suis, and the results obtained confirmed its specificity. In addition, the detection limits of recN PCR were similar among all the reference strains of authentic S. suis, indicating that the recN PCR gave reliable results against bacterial strains and isolates used in this study. Therefore, recN PCR described in the present study will be a useful tool for the identification of authentic S. suis, and can also be used in epidemiological studies on this bacterium.

Current Taxonomical Situation of Streptococcus suis

Streptococcus suis, a major porcine pathogen and an important zoonotic agent, is considered to be composed of phenotypically and genetically diverse strains. However, recent studies reported several “S. suis-like strains” that were identified as S. suis by commonly used methods for the identification of this bacterium, but were regarded as distinct species from S. suis according to the standards of several taxonomic analyses. Furthermore, it has been suggested that some S. suis-like strains can be assigned to several novel species. In this review, we discuss the current taxonomical situation of S. suis with a focus on (1) the classification history of the taxon of S. suis; (2) S. suis-like strains revealed by taxonomic analyses; (3) methods for detecting and identifying this species, including a novel method that can distinguish S. suis isolates from S. suis-like strains; and (4) current topics on the reclassification of S. suis-like strains.

Development of a multilocus sequence typing scheme for Streptococcus gallolyticus.

Streptococcus gallolyticus is often found as a member of the normal gut microflora in various animals. However, it has been reported to cause mastitis in cattle, septicaemia in pigeons, and meningitis, septicaemia and endocarditis in humans. However, little is known about the epidemiology and crucial virulence factors of S. gallolyticus. To help address these issues, we developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for S. gallolyticus. Seven housekeeping gene fragments were sequenced from each of 58 S. gallolyticus isolates collected from diverse origins and sources. The MLST scheme had good discriminatory ability. The 63 strains, including the 5 whole genome sequenced strains examined, resolved into 57 sequence types (STs), with 52 STs represented by only a single strain. With respect to the identification of S. gallolyticus subspecies (i.e. S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus and S. gallolyticus subsp. macedonicus), the results of biochemical tests and DNA-DNA hybridization were in high concordance with those of the MLST scheme. The MLST scheme developed in this study may be a useful tool capable of replacing the conventional methods used for S. gallolyticus subspecies identification. The results of this study suggest that the biology and virulence of two pathogenic S. gallolyticus subspecies (i.e. S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus and S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus) are very different. The MLST scheme offers researchers a valuable typing tool that will promote further investigation of the epidemiology of S. gallolyticus.

Comparison of the Growth of Lactobacillus delbrueckii, L. paracasei and L. plantarum on Inulin in Co-culture Systems

Lactobacillus delbrueckii TU-1, which apparently takes intact inulin into its cells and then degrades it intracellularly, was co-cultured in vitro with L. paracasei KTN-5, an extracellular inulin degrader; or L. plantarum 22A-3, a strain that is able to utilize fructose but not inulin; or both in order to prequalify inulin as a prebiotic agent in vivo. When L. delbrueckii TU-1 was co-cultured with L. paracasei KTN-5 on fructose or inulin, the growth of L. delbrueckii TU-1 on inulin was markedly higher than that of L. paracasei KTN-5, whereas the growth of L. delbrueckii TU-1 on fructose was much lower than that of L. paracasei KTN-5. These results suggest that L. delbrueckii TU-1 and L. paracasei KTN-5 were efficient at utilizing inulin and fructose, respectively. When L. plantarum 22A-3 was co-cultured with L. delbrueckii TU-1 on inulin, the growth of L. plantarum 22A-3 was enhanced by L. paracasei KTN-5 but not by L. delbrueckii TU-1, suggesting that the fructose moiety that L. paracasei KTN-5 released temporarily into the medium was “scavenged” by L. plantarum 22A-3. Thus, L. delbrueckii TU-1, L. paracasei KTN-5, and L. plantarum 22A-3 were then cultured altogether on inulin. The growth of L. delbrueckii TU-1 was unaffected but that of L. paracasei KTN-5 was markedly suppressed. This evidence suggests that prebiotic use of inulin supported the selective growth of intracellular inulin degraders such as L. delbrueckii rather than extracellular inulin degraders such as L. paracasei in the host microbiota.

Comparison of three tannases cloned from closely related lactobacillus species: L. Plantarum, L. Paraplantarum, and L. Pentosus

BackgroundTannase (tannin acyl hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.20) specifically catalyzes the hydrolysis of the galloyl ester bonds in hydrolyzable tannins to release gallic acid. The enzyme was found not only in fungal species but also many bacterial species including Lactobacillus plantarum, L. paraplantarum, and L. pentosus. Recently, we identified and expressed a tannase gene of L. plantarum, tanLpl, to show remarkable differences to characterized fungal tannases. However, little is known about genes responsible for tannase activities of L. paraplantarum and L. pentosus. We here identify the tannase genes (i.e. tanLpa and tanLpe) of the above lactobacilli species, and describe their molecular diversity among the strains as well as enzymological difference between species inclusive of L. plantarum.ResultsThe genes encoding tannase, designated tanLpa and tanLpe, were cloned from Lactobacillus paraplantarum NSO120 and Lactobacillus pentosus 21A-3, which shared 88% and 72% amino acid identity with TanLpl, cloned from Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 14917T, respectively. These three enzymes could comprise a novel tannase subfamily of independent lineage, because no other tannases in the databases share significant sequence similarity with them. Each of tanLpl, tanLpa, and tanLpe was expressed in Bacillus subtilis RIK 1285 and recombinant enzymes were secreted and purified. The Km values of the enzymes on each galloyl ester were comparable; however, the kcat/Km values of TanLpa for EGCg, ECg, Cg, and GCg were markedly higher than those for TanLpl and TanLpe. Their enzymological properties were compared to reveal differences at least in substrate specificity.ConclusionTwo tannase genes responsible for tannase activities of L. paraplantarum and L. pentosus were identified and characterized. TanLpl, TanLpa and TanLpe forming a phylogenetic cluster in the known bacterial tannase genes and had a limited diversity in each other. Their enzymological properties were compared to reveal differences at least in substrate specificity. This is the first comparative study of closely related bacterial tannases.

Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification to detect Streptococcus suis and its application to retail pork meat in Japan.

We here developed a novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to detect Streptococcus suis in raw pork meat. This method, designated LAMPSS, targeted the recombination/repair protein (recN) gene of S. suis and detected all serotypes of S. suis, except those taxonomically removed from authentic S. suis, i.e., serotypes 20, 22, 26, 32, 33, and 34. The specificity of LAMPSS was confirmed and its detection limit was 5.4cfu/reaction. Among the 966 raw pork meat samples examined, including sliced pork, minced pork, and the liver, tongue, heart, and small intestine, 255 samples tested positive with LAMPSS. The rate of contamination was higher in the organs than in pork. No significant difference was observed in the total bacterial count between LAMPSS-positive and -negative samples. The number of shops that provided LAMPSS-positive pork was slightly higher in those that sold swine organs and pork than in those that sold only pork, suggesting that cross contamination occurred from the organs to pork. Among the 255 which tested positive for LAMPSS, only 47 samples tested positive for the previously described LAMP specific for S. suis serotype 2. Two isolates of S. suis serotype 2, belonging to sequence type 28, which is potentially hazardous to humans, as well as those of some other serotypes were obtained from 19 out of 47 samples by combining LAMP with a replica plating method. These results suggest that LAMPSS will be a useful tool for the surveillance of raw pork meat in the retail market.

Difference in Degradation Patterns on Inulin-type Fructans among Strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Lactobacillus paracasei

Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains were assessed for their degradation patterns of various carbohydrates with specific reference to inulin-type fructans in comparison with those of Lactobacillus paracasei strains. Firstly, growth curves on glucose, fructose, sucrose and inulin-type fructans with increasing degrees of fructose polymerization (i.e., 1-kestose, fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin) of the strains were compared. L. paracasei DSM 20020 grew well on all these sugars, while the growth rates of the 4 L. delbrueckii strains were markedly higher on the fructans with a greater degree of polymerization than on fructose and sucrose. Secondly, sugar compositions of spent cultures of the strains of L. delbrueckii and L. paracasei grown in mMRS containing either the fructans or inulin were determined by thin layer chromatography, in which the spent cultures of L. paracasei DSM 20020 showed spots of short fructose and sucrose fractions, whereas those of the L. delbrueckii strains did not show such spots at all. These results suggest that, unlike the L. paracasei strains, the L. delbrueckii strains do not degrade the inulin-type fructans extracellularly, but transport the fructans capable of greater polymerization preferentially into their cells to be degraded intracellularly for their growth.

In vitro evaluation of immunological properties of extracellular polysaccharides produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains

We investigated the variation in immunological properties of the extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) produced by different Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains as well as that of their monosaccharide composition. The monosaccharide composition of each EPS produced by L. delbrueckii strains, as determined by thin layer chromatography (TLC), showed an appreciable variation in a strain-dependent manner, which could be broadly assigned to 4 TLC groups. Meanwhile, the immunological properties of the EPSs produced by 10 L. delbrueckii strains were evaluated in a semi-intestinal model using a Transwell co-culture system, which employed human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells on the apical side and murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells on the basolateral side. Each EPS was added to the apical side to allow direct contact with Caco-2 cells and incubated for 6 hr. After incubation, the amounts of TNF-α and several cytokines that had been released by either RAW264.7 or Caco-2 cells were then quantified by cytotoxic activity on L929 cells or the RT-PCR method. It was found that the EPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells express different profiles of cytokine production via Caco-2 cells but that the profile difference could not be related to the above TLC grouping. The evidence suggests that the EPSs of L. delbrueckii strains are diverse not only in their biochemical structure but also in their immunological properties.