title: 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multilocus sequence analysis, and mass spectrometry identification of the proposed new species "Clostridium neonatale".
abstract: In 2002, an outbreak of necrotizing enterocolitis in a Canadian neonatal intensive care unit was associated with a proposed novel species of Clostridium, "Clostridium neonatale." To date, there are no data about the isolation, identification, or clinical significance of this species. Additionally, C. neonatale has not been formally classified as a new species, rendering its identification challenging. Indeed, the C. neonatale 16S rRNA gene sequence shows high similarity to another Clostridium species involved in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis, Clostridium butyricum. By performing a polyphasic study combining phylogenetic analysis (16S rRNA gene sequencing and multilocus sequence analysis) and phenotypic characterization with mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that C. neonatale is a new species within the Clostridium genus sensu stricto, for which we propose the name Clostridium neonatale sp. nov. Now that the status of C. neonatale has been clarified, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) can be used for better differential identification of C. neonatale and C. butyricum clinical isolates. This is necessary to precisely define the role and clinical significance of C. neonatale, a species that may have been misidentified and underrepresented during previous neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis studies.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité des Bactéries Anaérobies et Toxines, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bouvet
authors.affiliation: EA 4065 "Ecosystème Intestinal, Probiotiques, Antibiotiques," Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferraris
authors.affiliation: Andromas SAS, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Brunhilde
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dauphin
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité des Bactéries Anaérobies et Toxines, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michel-Robert
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Popoff
authors.affiliation: EA 4065 "Ecosystème Intestinal, Probiotiques, Antibiotiques," Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie Jose
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Butel
authors.affiliation: EA 4065 "Ecosystème Intestinal, Probiotiques, Antibiotiques," Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France julio.aires@parisdescartes.fr.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aires
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003013:Clostridium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S