Isolation of Waddlia malaysiensis, a novel intracellular bacterium, from fruit bat (Eonycteris spelaea)

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases 2005-02, Vol.11 (2), p.271-277
• Main Authors: Chua, Paul K B, Corkill, John E, Hooi, Poh Sim, Cheng, Soo Choon, Winstanley, Craig, Hart, C Anthony
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 16S rDNA inclusions; 3T3 Cells; Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - analogs & derivatives; Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - chemistry; Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine - genetics; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antimicrobial susceptibility; Bacterial infections; Base Sequence; Cercopithecus aethiops; Chiroptera - microbiology; Chiroptera - urine; Chlamydia; Chlamydiales - drug effects; Chlamydiales - genetics; Chlamydiales - isolation & purification; Chlamydiales - ultrastructure; Cricetinae; Development and progression; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics; Eonycteris spelaea; fruit bat; Humans; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy, Electron; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - chemistry; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S - chemistry; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S - genetics; Sequence Alignment; Vero Cells; Waddlia; Waddlia chondrophila; Waddlia malaysiensis; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid1102.040746

An obligate intracellular bacterium was isolated from urine samples from 7 (3.5%) of 202 fruit bats (Eonycteris spelaea) in peninsular Malaysia. The bacterium produced large membrane-bound inclusions in human, simian, and rodent cell lines, including epithelial, fibroblastlike, and lymphoid cells. Thin-section electron microscopy showed reticulate bodies dividing by binary fission and elementary bodies in the inclusions; mitochondria surrounded the inclusions. The inclusions were positive for periodic acid-Schiff stain but could not be stained by fluorescein-labeled anti-Chlamydia trachomatis major outer membrane protein monoclonal antibody. The bacterium was resistant to penicillin and streptomycin (MICs > 256 mg/L) but susceptible to tetracycline (MIC = 0.25 mg/L) and chloramphenicol (MIC = 0.5 mg/L). Sequence analysis of the 16SrRNA gene indicated that it was most closely related to 2 isolates of Waddlia chondrophila (94% and 96% identity). The 16S and 23S rRNA gene signatures were only 91% identical. We propose this novel bacterium be called W. malaysiensis.