Corynebacterium uropygiale sp. nov., isolated from the preen gland of Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.syapm.2015.12.001Get rights and content

Abstract

A novel species of fastidious, lipophilic, club-shaped, Gram-positive bacteria was recovered from the preen glands of healthy Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) from two different locations. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed highest similarity to Corynebacterium spheniscorum DSM 44757T (96.8%) with a 3.2 kb stretch of rpoB sharing 82.4% sequence similarity to the same species. DNA fingerprinting by ERIC-PCR and polar lipid profiles clearly differentiated the Turkey isolates from the most closely related Corynebacteria, as did MALDI-TOF MS analysis. Chemotaxonomic tests revealed the presence of corynemycolic acids with C16:0, C18:0, C18:1ω9c and tuberculostearic acid as the major cellular fatty acids. The G+C content of the type strain was 60.7 mol%. The species was susceptible to ampicillin, kanamycin A, streptomycin, amikacin, polymyxin B and vancomycin. From our results, it becomes evident that the isolated organisms represent a new species, for which the name Corynebacterium uropygiale sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Iso10T (=DSM 46817T = LMG 28616T).

Introduction

A large number of microorganisms have been found to co-exist with birds [5], [6], [15], [16], [31]. Corynebacteria have been isolated from healthy avian tissues of different body parts such as cloacae of Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) [12], [13], trachea of Black Storks (Ciconia nigra) [9] and choanae of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) [8]. However, no coryneform bacteria have to date been isolated from preen glands of birds. Reports on bacteria in preen glands are confined to two species of birds within the order Bucerotiformes, namely the European Hoopoe (Upupa epops) [22] and the Red-billed Woodhoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus). In both cases, the microorganisms belong to the genus Enterococcus.

Corynebacterium spp. are Gram-positive, non-spore forming organisms and members of the class Actinobacteria. They constitute a diverse genus containing species of pathological relevance to men and animals [11], but also represent a part of the normal microbiome [9], [14]. Since the emergence of molecular tools, the genus has seen a significant increase in newly described species [12], [9]. It now includes more than 90 members and is one of the largest taxa within coryneform organisms [17], [1]. Typical characteristics are pleomorphic or club shaped rods, which assemble in V-arrangements or palisade-like patterns [2]. The genetic information is encoded in G+C rich DNA with a guanine and cytosine content accounting to as much as 46–74 mol% [2]. The cell wall contains corynemycolic acids (C22–C30), C16:0, C18:0 and C18:1ω9c being the main components of their cellular fatty acid profile [10]. When compared to other genera, the 16S rRNA gene is particularly conserved among different Corynebacterium species and sometimes the sequence divergence is less than 1% between them [17]. Here, we describe a hitherto unknown Corynebacterium species from the preen gland of Turkeys by means of a polyphasic approach. The bacterium was isolated while assessing the functional importance of preen gland secretions for birds. As a name for the novel species we propose Corynebacterium uropygiale. This is the first report on coryneform bacteria isolated from preen glands of healthy birds and the first publication on preen gland dwelling microorganisms outside the order Bucerotiformes.

Section snippets

Isolation and culture conditions

Samples were obtained from captive Turkeys kept at two different localities near Heidelberg, Germany. Secretions from the preen gland of Turkeys dedicated to human consumption were collected after excising the preen glands from freshly slaughtered animals at Annerose Ziegler GbR, Bammental, Germany. The glands were surface sterilized in 70% ethanol for 10 min to avoid contamination from surrounding tissues and excised using sterile scalpels and forceps. Uropygial gland secretions from Turkeys

Results and discussion

Isolation attempts led to C. uropygiale sp. nov. growing in pure culture on agar plates. Bacteria showed to be Gram-positive club shaped rods organized in V-shapes and palisades (Supplementary Fig. 1). The isolates were facultative anaerobic, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, non-motile and non-spore forming. The cell wall proved to be non-acid fast. After 48 h of incubation at 37 °C, the bacteria exhibited good growth on LB agar incorporating 0.3% Tween-80 under aerobic conditions. 5% CO2 did

Description of Corynebacterium uropygiale sp. nov.

Corynebacterium uropygiale (u.ro.py.gi.a’le. N.L. neut. adj. uropygiale pertaining to the uropygial gland from which the strains were isolated). Cells are fastidious, catalase positive, oxidase negative, CAMP negative, non-acid fast, non-motile and non-sporulating Gram-positive club shaped rods. They are facultative anaerobes, which are organized in palisades and V-shapes. After 48 h of incubation good growth can be observed on LB agar after the addition of 0.3% Tween-80. Colonies are 1–2 mm in

Conflict of interest

The authors declare the absence of any conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere gratitude to Dipl. Biol. Sandra Reichler and Dr. Julia Stockklausner (both Heidelberg Zoo, Heidelberg, Germany) for granting access to their Turkeys. They are indebted to Dr. Irene Burckhardt (Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Heidelberg, Germany) and Astrid Backhaus (Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany) for help in MSP creation and lipid analyses.

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