HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pettersson, B. Articles by Tønjum, T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pettersson, B. Articles by Tønjum, T. Agricola Articles by Pettersson, B. Articles by Tønjum, T.

Phylogeny of the family Moraxellaceae by 16S rDNA sequence analysis, with special emphasis on differentiation of Moraxella species

Bertil Pettersson¹, Angeli Kodjo², Mostafa Ronaghi¹, Mathias Uhlén¹ and Tone Tønjum^3,

¹Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, S-10044 Stockholm, Sweden
²Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon, Lyon, France
³Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Oslo, National Hospital, N-0027 Oslo, Norway

Author for correspondence: Tone Tønjum. Tel: +47 22 86 95 10. Fax: +47 22 86 94 90. e-mail: tone.tonjum{at}rh.uio.no

ABSTRACT

Thirty-three strains previously classified into 11 species in the bacterial family Moraxellaceae were subjected to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences. The family Moraxellaceae formed a distinct clade consisting of four phylogenetic groups as judged from branch lengths, bootstrap values and signature nucleotides. Group I contained the classical moraxellae and strains of the coccal moraxellae, previously known as Branhamella, with 16S rRNA similarity of 95%. A further division of group I into five tentative clusters is discussed. Group II consisted of two strains representing Moraxella atlantae and Moraxella osloensis. These strains were only distantly related to each other (93·4%) and also to the other members of the Moraxellaceae (93%). Therefore, reasons for reclassification of these species into separate and new genera are discussed. Group III harboured strains of the genus Psychrobacter and strain 752/52 of [Moraxella] phenylpyruvica. This strain of [M.] phenylpyruvica formed an early branch from the group III line of descent. Interestingly, a distant relationship was found between Psychrobacter phenylpyruvicus strain ATCC 23333^T (formerly classified as [M.] phenylpyruvica) and [M.] phenylpyruvica strain 752/52, exhibiting less than 96% nucleotide similarity between their 16S rRNA sequences. The establishment of a new genus for [M.] phenylpyruvica strain 752/52 is therefore suggested. Group IV contained only two strains of the genus Acinetobacter. Strategies for the development of diagnostic probes and distinctive sequences for 16S rRNA-based species-specific assays within group I are suggested. Although these findings add to the classificatory placements within the Moraxellaceae, analysis of a more comprehensive selection of strains is still needed to obtain a complete classification system within this family.

Key Words: Moraxella • 16S rDNA sequences • phylogeny • classification

Present address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, 5641 Medical Science Building II, Ann Arbor, Ml 48109-0620, USA. Tel: +1 313 647 6765. Fax: +1 313 764 3562.

The GenBank accession numbers for the sequences reported in this paper are AF005160-AF005192.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Wirth, G. Morelli, B. Kusecek, A. van Belkum, C. van der Schee, A. Meyer, and M. Achtman The rise and spread of a new pathogen: Seroresistant Moraxella catarrhalis Genome Res., November 1, 2007; 17(11): 1647 - 1656. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Angelos, P. Q. Spinks, L. M. Ball, and L. W. George Moraxella bovoculi sp. nov., isolated from calves with infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, April 1, 2007; 57(4): 789 - 795. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Mussi, A. S. Limansky, and A. M. Viale Acquisition of Resistance to Carbapenems in Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Strains of Acinetobacter baumannii: Natural Insertional Inactivation of a Gene Encoding a Member of a Novel Family of {beta}-Barrel Outer Membrane Proteins Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., April 1, 2005; 49(4): 1432 - 1440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. L. Thompson, B. Hoste, K. Vandemeulebroecke, and J. Swings Reclassification of Vibrio hollisae as Grimontia hollisae gen. nov., comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, September 1, 2003; 53(5): 1615 - 1617. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Probian, A. Wulfing, and J. Harder Anaerobic Mineralization of Quaternary Carbon Atoms: Isolation of Denitrifying Bacteria on Pivalic Acid (2,2-Dimethylpropionic Acid) Appl. Envir. Microbiol., March 1, 2003; 69(3): 1866 - 1870. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. De Baere, A. Muylaert, E. Everaert, G. Wauters, G. Claeys, G. Verschraegen, and M. Vaneechoutte Bacteremia Due to Moraxella atlantae in a Cancer Patient J. Clin. Microbiol., July 1, 2002; 40(7): 2693 - 2695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Verduin, C. Hol, A. Fleer, H. van Dijk, and A. van Belkum Moraxella catarrhalis: from Emerging to Established Pathogen Clin. Microbiol. Rev., January 1, 2002; 15(1): 125 - 144. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Harmsen, C. Singer, J. Rothgänger, T. Tønjum, G. Sybren de Hoog, H. Shah, J. Albert, and M. Frosch Diagnostics of Neisseriaceae and Moraxellaceae by Ribosomal DNA Sequencing: Ribosomal Differentiation of Medical Microorganisms J. Clin. Microbiol., March 1, 2001; 39(3): 936 - 942. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. Vaneechoutte, G. Claeys, S. Steyaert, T. De Baere, R. Peleman, and G. Verschraegen Isolation of Moraxella canis from an Ulcerated Metastatic Lymph Node J. Clin. Microbiol., October 1, 2000; 38(10): 3870 - 3871. [Abstract] [Full Text]