Neisseria weaveri sp. nov. (formerly CDC group M-5), from dog bite wounds of humans.
The taxonomic relationships of strains belonging to Centers for Disease Control group M-5 were examined. Previous studies of rRNA cistron similarities placed this organism on the Neisseriaceae rRNA branch of rRNA superfamily III; the closest neighbors included the genus Neisseria and groups EF-4a and EF-4b. The group M-5 strains were characterized by a range of phenotypic tests, and their G + C contents and DNA-DNA relatedness levels were determined. In addition, a numerical taxonomic analysis of the whole-cell protein patterns (obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) of group M-5 and related taxa was performed. The strains studied included 45 group M-5 strains, the type strains of six Neisseria species or subspecies, three group EF-4a reference strains, and three group EF-4b reference strains plus the type strain of the phenotypically similar organism Oligella urethralis. Our results showed that the group M-5 strains were members of a homogeneous taxon distinct from phylogenetically closely related taxa. The genomic divergence as revealed by levels of rRNA cistron similarity and phenotypic characteristics indicate that group M-5 can be considered a new species of the genus Neisseria. We therefore propose the new species Neisseria weaveri, with NCTC 12742 (= CCUG 4007 = ISL775/91 = LMG 5135) as the type strain. N. weaveri strains are strictly aerobic, gram-negative, nonmotile, rod-shaped organisms which are catalase and oxidase positive, nonsaccharolytic, and able to grow on MacConkey agar and do not reduce nitrate but generally reduce nitrite.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Holmes
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B
Epidemiological Identification and Typing Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, United Kingdom.
Costas
M
M
On
S L
SL
Vandamme
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P
Falsen
E
E
Kersters
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K
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001482:Base Composition; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000382:microbiology*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D009343:Neisseria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010802:Phylogeny; D014481:United States
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial