Cetobacterium somerae sp. nov. from Human Feces and Emended Description of the Genus Cetobacterium

• Published in: Systematic and applied microbiology 2003-06, Vol.26 (2), p.177-181
• Main Authors: Finegold, Sydney M., Vaisanen, Marja-Liisa, Molitoris, Denise R., Tomzynski, Thomas J., Song, Yuli, Liu, Chengxu, Collins, Matthew D., Lawson, Paul A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 16S rRNA; Age of Onset; autism; Autistic Disorder - drug therapy; Autistic Disorder - epidemiology; Autistic Disorder - microbiology; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Base Composition; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Cetobacterium somerae sp. nov; Child; Child, Preschool; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Fatty Acids - analysis; feces; Feces - microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci - classification; Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci - genetics; Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci - isolation & purification; Growth, nutrition, metabolism, transports, enzymes. Molecular biology; Humans; Intestines - microbiology; Male; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycology; Phenotype; Phylogeny; Ribotyping; Species Specificity; Systematics; taxonomy; Vancomycin - therapeutic use; Virology
• ISSN: 0723-2020; 1618-0984
• DOI: 10.1078/072320203322346010

Phenotypic and phylogenetic studies were performed on four isolates of an unidentified gram-negative, microaerotolerant, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium isolated from the feces of children. The unknown organism was bile resistant and produced acetic acid as the major end product of metabolism of peptides and carbohydrates. It possessed a low DNA G + C content of 31 mol %. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that the four isolates were phylogenetically identical (100% 16S rRNA sequence similarity) and represent a hitherto unknown sub-line within the genus Cetobacterium. The novel bacterium displayed approximately 5% sequence divergence with Cetobacterium ceti, and can be readily distinguished from the latter by physiological and biochemical criteria. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, it is proposed that the unknown fecal bacterium be classified in the genus Cetobacterium, as Cetobacterium somerae sp. nov. The proposed type strain of Cetobacterium somerae is WAL 14325 T (ATCC BAA-474 T = CCUG 46254T).