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Dermatophilus chelonae sp. nov., Isolated from Chelonids in Australia

Animal Health Laboratories, Department of Agriculture, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia

^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Animal Health Laboratories, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia. Phone: 09 368 3923. Fax: 09 474 1881.

ABSTRACT

Three isolates of a previously undescribed Dermatophilus sp. obtained from chelonids (two strains obtained from turtles and one strain obtained from a tortoise) were compared with 30 Dermatophilus congolensis isolates obtained from Australian mammals. The microscopic appearance, the colony morphology, and most biochemical test results for the chelonid isolates were characteristic of the genus Dermatophilus. Our isolates differed from the mammalian D. congolensis isolates in a number of cultural characteristics, including faster growth at 27°C than at 37°C, formation of two hemolysis zones around colonies on blood agar at 37°C in the presence of 10% CO₂, poor motility, and production of a distinctive odor. The DNA restriction enzyme digestion and protein electrophoresis patterns of our strains were distinct The electrophoretic mobilities of 11 enzymes differed from the mobilities observed with D. congolensis strains. A monoclonal antibody to a surface antigen of an ovine isolate did not react with zoospores or filaments of the chelonid isolates. Biochemical differences between our isolates and D. congolensis included the ability of the chelonid isolates to reduce nitrate to nitrite and the fact that the chelonid isolates exhibit collagenase activity in vitro. We propose that the chelonid isolates should be placed in a new species, Dermatophilus chelonae. Strain W16, which was isolated from a nose scab on a snapping turtle, is the type strain; a culture of this strain has been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection as strain ATCC 51576.