Phylogenetic evidence for two new insect-associated Chlamydia of the family Simkaniaceae.
On the basis of 16S-23S ribosomal DNA analyses, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) and the eriococcid Eriococcus spurius (Sternorrhyncha, Eriococcidae) were each found to harbor novel related chlamydial species within the family Simkaniaceae. The generic designation Fritscheagen. nov. is proposed to accommodate the two species, F. bemisiaesp. nov. and F. eriococci sp. nov. The finding of chlamydial 16S-23S ribosomal DNA in B. tabaci is consistent with a previous electron microscopy study which found that bacteriocytes of this species contain structures that we consider to resemble the elementary and reticulate bodies of chlamydia (Costa HS, Westcot DM, Ullman DE, Rosell R, Brown JK, Johnson MW. Protoplasma 189:194-202, 1995). The cloning and sequencing of a 16.6 kilobase DNA fragment from F. bemisiae indicated that it contains six genes encoding for proteins similar to those found in other species of chlamydia. These results extend the range of organisms that harbor chlamydia.
Thao
MyLo Ly
ML
Microbiology Section, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA.
Baumann
Linda
L
Hess
Justin M
JM
Falk
Bryce W
BW
Ng
James C K
JC
Gullan
Penny J
PJ
Baumann
Paul
P
D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D002695:Chlamydiales / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D009626:Terminology as Topic
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S