The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions
The genus <i>Brucella</i> currently comprises twelve species of facultative intracellular bacteria with variable zoonotic potential. Six of them have been considered as classical, causing brucellosis in terrestrial mammalian hosts, with two species originated from marine mammals. In the...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/4/813 |
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| author | Alessandra Occhialini Dirk Hofreuter Christoph-Martin Ufermann Sascha Al Dahouk Stephan Köhler |
| author_facet | Alessandra Occhialini Dirk Hofreuter Christoph-Martin Ufermann Sascha Al Dahouk Stephan Köhler |
| author_sort | Alessandra Occhialini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The genus <i>Brucella</i> currently comprises twelve species of facultative intracellular bacteria with variable zoonotic potential. Six of them have been considered as classical, causing brucellosis in terrestrial mammalian hosts, with two species originated from marine mammals. In the past fifteen years, field research as well as improved pathogen detection and typing have allowed the identification of four new species, namely <i>Brucella microti</i>, <i>Brucella inopinata</i>, <i>Brucella papionis</i>, <i>Brucella vulpis</i>, and of numerous strains, isolated from a wide range of hosts, including for the first time cold-blooded animals. While their genome sequences are still highly similar to those of classical strains, some of them are characterized by atypical phenotypes such as higher growth rate, increased resistance to acid stress, motility, and lethality in the murine infection model. In our review, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art knowledge about these novel <i>Brucella</i> sp., with emphasis on their phylogenetic positions in the genus, their metabolic characteristics, acid stress resistance mechanisms, and their behavior in well-established in cellulo and in vivo infection models. Comparison of phylogenetic classification and phenotypical properties between classical and novel <i>Brucella</i> species and strains finally lead us to propose a more adapted terminology, distinguishing between core and non-core, and typical versus atypical brucellae, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:23:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7739bc0430e4536b8fb957fbf7ac739 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:23:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7739bc0430e4536b8fb957fbf7ac7392023-12-03T13:45:15ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-04-0110481310.3390/microorganisms10040813The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel DefinitionsAlessandra Occhialini0Dirk Hofreuter1Christoph-Martin Ufermann2Sascha Al Dahouk3Stephan Köhler4Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), CNRS, University Montpellier, INSERM, 34293 Montpellier, FranceGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, 12277 Berlin, GermanyGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, 12277 Berlin, GermanyGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, 12277 Berlin, GermanyInstitut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), CNRS, University Montpellier, INSERM, 34293 Montpellier, FranceThe genus <i>Brucella</i> currently comprises twelve species of facultative intracellular bacteria with variable zoonotic potential. Six of them have been considered as classical, causing brucellosis in terrestrial mammalian hosts, with two species originated from marine mammals. In the past fifteen years, field research as well as improved pathogen detection and typing have allowed the identification of four new species, namely <i>Brucella microti</i>, <i>Brucella inopinata</i>, <i>Brucella papionis</i>, <i>Brucella vulpis</i>, and of numerous strains, isolated from a wide range of hosts, including for the first time cold-blooded animals. While their genome sequences are still highly similar to those of classical strains, some of them are characterized by atypical phenotypes such as higher growth rate, increased resistance to acid stress, motility, and lethality in the murine infection model. In our review, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art knowledge about these novel <i>Brucella</i> sp., with emphasis on their phylogenetic positions in the genus, their metabolic characteristics, acid stress resistance mechanisms, and their behavior in well-established in cellulo and in vivo infection models. Comparison of phylogenetic classification and phenotypical properties between classical and novel <i>Brucella</i> species and strains finally lead us to propose a more adapted terminology, distinguishing between core and non-core, and typical versus atypical brucellae, respectively.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/4/813<i>Brucella</i>novel speciesatypical speciesclassical speciescore speciesphylogeny |
| spellingShingle | Alessandra Occhialini Dirk Hofreuter Christoph-Martin Ufermann Sascha Al Dahouk Stephan Köhler The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions Microorganisms <i>Brucella</i> novel species atypical species classical species core species phylogeny |
| title | The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions |
| title_full | The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions |
| title_fullStr | The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions |
| title_short | The Retrospective on Atypical <i>Brucella</i> Species Leads to Novel Definitions |
| title_sort | retrospective on atypical i brucella i species leads to novel definitions |
| topic | <i>Brucella</i> novel species atypical species classical species core species phylogeny |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/4/813 |
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