title: Isolation of toxigenic Nocardiopsis strains from indoor environments and description of two new Nocardiopsis Species, N. exhalans sp. nov. and N. umidischolae sp. nov.
abstract: Nocardiopsis strains were isolated from water-damaged indoor environments. Two strains (N. alba subsp. alba 704a and a strain representing a novel species, ES10.1) as well as strains of N. prasina, N. lucentensis, and N. tropica produced methanol-soluble toxins that paralyzed the motility of boar spermatozoa at <30 microg of crude extract (dry weight) x ml(-1). N. prasina, N. lucentensis, N. tropica, and strain ES10.1 caused cessation of motility by dissipating the mitochondrial membrane potential, Deltapsi, of the boar spermatozoa. Indoor strain 704a produced a substance that destroyed cell membrane barrier function and depleted the sperm cells of ATP. Indoor strain 64/93 was antagonistic towards Corynebacterium renale. Two indoor Nocardiopsis strains were xerotolerant, and all five utilized a wide range of substrates. This combined with the production of toxic substances suggests good survival and potential hazard to human health in water-damaged indoor environments. Two new species, Nocardiopsis exhalans sp. nov. (ES10.1T) and Nocardiopsis umidischolae sp. nov. (66/93T), are proposed based on morphology, chemotaxonomic and physiological characters, phylogenetic analysis, and DNA-DNA reassociations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. joanna.peltola@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Peltola
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kämpfer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Auling
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kroppenstedt
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Salkinoja-Salonen
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Rainey
mesh_terms: D000192:Actinomycetales / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D000391:Air Microbiology; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D003252:Construction Materials; D004391:Dust; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004391:Dust; D005227:Fatty Acids