title: Final classification of Bisgaard taxon 9 as Actinobacillus arthritidis sp. nov. and recognition of a novel genomospecies for equine strains of Actinobacillus lignieresii.
abstract: Phenotypic characterization of bacteria from diseased and healthy horses identified 18 isolates as Bisgaard taxon 9 and 11 isolates as Actinobacillus lignieresii. All strains of taxon 9 were alpha-galactosidase- and raffinose-positive and showed variable fermentation of (+)L-arabinose and (-)D-sorbitol. Strains of A. lignieresii were negative for these characteristics, with the exception of raffinose. Two strains from the (-)D-sorbitol-negative group of taxon 9 showed a 16S rRNA similarity of 99-6%, while 99.5% similarity was found between two strains of the (-)D-sorbitol-positive group. DNA-DNA hybridization between the two strains representing the (-)D-sorbitol-negative group showed 98% binding, and their closest relationship was to a strain of A. lignieresii (64%). The two strains of the (-)D-sorbitol-positive group showed 83% binding and were related to the (-)D-sorbitol-negative group at a 76% DNA binding level. Actinobacillus arthritidis sp. nov. is proposed for 12 strains of the (-)D-sorbitol-positive group. Actinobacillus genomospecies 2 is suggested for the six strains of the (-)D-sorbitol-negative group. Phenotypically, strains of A. arthritidis and Actinobacillus genomospecies 2 differ in (-)D-sorbitol fermentation and can be separated from Actinobacillus equuli by being trehalose-negative, while a positive reaction for alpha-galactosidase separates the taxa from A. lignieresii. The type strain of A. arthritidis, CCUG 24862T, was isolated from a joint of a horse. Three equine isolates of A. lignieresii that could not be separated from the type strain by means of phenotypic characteristics showed 98.6-100% 16S rRNA similarity, but only 96.4-96.7% similarity to the type strain. DNA-DNA hybridization between two strains of this group showed 92% binding but only 70% binding to the type strain of A. lignieresii. Consequently, these equine isolates of A. lignieresii represent a new genomospecies of Actinobacillus, suggested as genomospecies 1 because phenotypic characteristics are not presently available to separate it from the type strain of A. lignieresii.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark. hech@kvl.dk
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Magne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bisgaard
authors.forename: Oystein
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Angen
authors.forename: John Elmerdahl
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000188:Actinobacillus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000189:Actinobacillus Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001168:Arthritis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010641:Phenotype; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S