Isolation and characterization of Neisseria musculi sp. nov., from the wild house mouse.

Nathan J Weyand,Lily Goodyer-Sait,Nicolas Biais,Al B Agellon,Holly B Bratcher,Won J Kim,Mancheong Ma,Odile B Harrison,María A Rendón,Taichi A Suzuki,Megan Phifer-Rixey,Martin C J Maiden,Nyiawung A Taku,Magdalene So,Michael W Nachman,Alyson M Hockenberry

doi:10.1099/ijsem.0.001237

Abstract

Members of the genus Neisseria have been isolated from or detected in a wide range of animals, from non-human primates and felids to a rodent, the guinea pig. By means of selective culture, biochemical testing, Gram staining and PCR screening for the Neisseria-specific internal transcribed spacer region of the rRNA operon, we isolated four strains of the genus Neisseria from the oral cavity of the wild house mouse, Mus musculus subsp. domesticus. The isolates are highly related and form a separate clade in the genus, as judged by tree analyses using either multi-locus sequence typing of ribosomal genes or core genes. One isolate, provisionally named Neisseria musculi sp. nov. (type strain AP2031T=DSM 101846T=CCUG 68283T=LMG 29261T), was studied further. Strain AP2031T/N. musculi grew well in vitro. It was naturally competent, taking up DNA in a DNA uptake sequence and pilT-dependent manner, and was amenable to genetic manipulation. These and other genomic attributes of N. musculi sp. nov. make it an ideal candidate for use in developing a mouse model for studying Neisseria-host interactions.

Highlights

Diseases of importance to human health, Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae
This behaviour may be due to traits they inherited from their commensal forebears as they evolved a more pathogenic lifestyle (Marri et al, 2010)
Commensal species of the genus Neisseria have been isolated from the oropharynx and urogenital tract of man, the oral cavity and throat of guinea pigs, the liver and faeces of ducks, the oral cavity and dental plaque of cows, the upper respiratory tract and lung of dogs, and the oral cavity of a rhesus macaque

Summary

Introduction

Diseases of importance to human health, Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. To further characterize these four isolates, their rplF sequences were determined and compared with those of other species of the genus Neisseria. Genomic data from AP2031T was compared with a representative isolate dataset containing all known species of the genus Neisseria for which wholegenome sequencing data were available (Bennett et al, 2012).

Results

Conclusion