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Leptotrichia hongkongensis sp. nov., a novel Leptotrichia species with the oral cavity as its natural reservoir

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Abstract

A straight, non-sporulating, Gram-variable bacillus (HKU24T) was recovered from the blood culture of a patient with metastatic breast carcinoma. After repeated subculturing in BACTEC Plus Anaerobic/F blood culture broth, HKU24T grew on brucella agar as non-hemolytic, pinpoint colonies after 96 h of incubation at 37 °C in an anaerobic environment and aerobic environment with 5% CO2. Growth was enhanced with a streak of Staphylococcus aureus. HKU24T was non-motile and catalase-negative, but positive for alkaline phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and α-glucosidase. It hydrolyzed phenylphosphonate and reduced resazurin. 16S rRNA, groEL, gyrB, recA, and rpoB sequencing showed that HKU24T occupies a distinct phylogenetic position among the Leptotrichia species, being most closely related to Leptotrichia trevisanii. Using HKU24T groEL, gyrB, recA, and rpoB gene-specific primers, fragments of these genes were amplified from one of 20 oral specimens. Based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, we propose a new species, Leptotrichia hongkongensis sp. nov., to describe this bacterium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Patrick C. Y. Woo, Samson S. Y. Wong, Herman Tse, Susanna K. P. Lau & Kwok-Yung Yuen

  2. Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Patrick C. Y. Woo, Samson S. Y. Wong, Herman Tse, Susanna K. P. Lau & Kwok-Yung Yuen

  3. Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Patrick C. Y. Woo, Samson S. Y. Wong, Jade L. L. Teng, Kit-Wah Leung, Antonio H. Y. Ngan, Dong-qing Zhao, Herman Tse, Susanna K. P. Lau & Kwok-Yung Yuen

  4. Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Patrick C. Y. Woo, Samson S. Y. Wong, Herman Tse, Susanna K. P. Lau & Kwok-Yung Yuen

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  1. Patrick C. Y. Woo
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  2. Samson S. Y. Wong
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  3. Jade L. L. Teng
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  4. Kit-Wah Leung
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  6. Dong-qing Zhao
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  7. Herman Tse
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  8. Susanna K. P. Lau
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  9. Kwok-Yung Yuen
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Correspondence to Susanna K. P. Lau.

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The three authors contributed equally to this work

Project partly supported by the Consultancy Service for Enhancing Laboratory Surveillance of Emerging Infectious Disease for Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, the Research Grant Council Grant, the University Development Fund, the Outstanding Young Researcher Award, and the Committee for Research and Conference Grant, The University of Hong Kong, China

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Woo, P.C.Y., Wong, S.S.Y., Teng, J.L.L. et al. Leptotrichia hongkongensis sp. nov., a novel Leptotrichia species with the oral cavity as its natural reservoir. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 11, 391–401 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1000056

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1000056

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