Molecular Characterization of Disease-Associated Streptococci of the Mitis Group That Are Optochin Susceptible

Eight optochin-susceptible (Opts) alpha-hemolytic (viridans) streptococcus isolates were characterized at the molecular level. These isolates showed phenotypic characteristics typical of both viridans streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Comparison of the sequence of housekeeping genes from th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2006-11, Vol.44 (11), p.4163-4171
Main Authors: Balsalobre, Luz, Hernández-Madrid, Antonia, Llull, Daniel, Martín-Galiano, Antonio J, García, Ernesto, Fenoll, Asunción, Campa, Adela G. de la
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Bacteriology
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Chromosomes, Bacterial
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Molecular Sequence Data
Operon
Quinine - analogs & derivatives
Quinine - pharmacology
Streptococcus mitis
Streptococcus mitis - drug effects
Streptococcus mitis - genetics
Streptococcus oralis
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Eight optochin-susceptible (Opts) alpha-hemolytic (viridans) streptococcus isolates were characterized at the molecular level. These isolates showed phenotypic characteristics typical of both viridans streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Comparison of the sequence of housekeeping genes from these isolates with those of S. pneumoniae, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae suggested that the Opts isolates corresponded to streptococci of the mitis group. Besides, the Opts streptococci were negative by a Gen-Probe AccuProbe pneumococcus test and hybridized with specific pneumococcal probes (lytA and ply) but also with ant, a gene not present in most S. pneumoniae strains. Moreover, the isolates were insoluble in 1% sodium deoxycholate but completely dissolved in 0.1% deoxycholate. Sequence analysis of the lytA gene revealed that the Opts streptococci carried lytA alleles characteristic of those present in nonpneumococcal streptococci of the mitis group. The determination of the partial nucleotide sequence embracing the atp operon encoding the FoF₁ H⁺-ATPase indicated that the optochin susceptibility of the isolates was due to the acquisition of atpC, atpA, and part of atpB from S. pneumoniae by horizontal gene transfer.
ISSN:0095-1137
1098-660X
1098-5530
DOI:10.1128/JCM.01137-06