The structure of the O-chain of the lipopolysaccharide of a prototypal diarrheagenic strain of Hafnia alvei that has characteristics of a new species under the genus Escherichia.
The structure of the O-polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from a diarrheal strain isolated in Bangladesh was studied with sugar, and methylation analysis, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and partial acid hydrolysis. The strain was first designated as Hafnia alvei, but later found to be a possible new species in the genus Escherichia. Two different polysaccharides were detected, a major and a minor one. The structure of the major polysaccharide is given below, while the structure of the minor one was not investigated. The structure of the repeating unit was established as The structure does not resemble any of the previously investigated lipopolysaccharide O-chains from Escherichia coli or H. alvei, but could fit in either group based on types of sugar residues and acidity. Phenotypic microbiological studies cannot definitely assign it to either species of the two genera. Genetic hybridization studies indicate that the Bangladeshi isolates may require a new species designation under the genus Escherichia.
Eserstam
Reine
R
Clinical Research Center, Analytical Unit, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden.
Rajaguru
Thushari P
TP
Jansson
Per-Erik
PE
Weintraub
Andrej
A
Albert
M John
MJ
D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D004925:Escherichia / Q000737:chemistry; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C430211:O-specific polysaccharide, Hafnia alvei; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial