Corynebacterium uterequi sp. nov., a non-lipophilic bacterium isolated from urogenital samples from horses.

The research paper unveils a new bacterial species, named Corynebacterium uterequi, discovered from urogenital samples of horses in Scotland and Sweden, establishing its distinctness from existing Corynebacterium species through in-depth biochemical, genetic and phenotypic analysis.

Research Methodology

• The researchers collected three strains of a novel, non-lipophilic bacterium from the urogenital samples of mares in Scotland and Sweden, placing them in the CCUG (Culture Collection, University of Gothenburg) with tentative identifications as Corynebacterium spp.
• The researchers then utilized a polyphasic taxonomic approach in order to thoroughly characterize the strains. This approach combines various techniques like phenotypic, genetic, and biochemical analyses to ensure accurate species identification and classification.

Results and Findings

• Upon analyzing the biochemical properties, the three strains were found to be highly similar to each other but strikingly different from other known Corynebacterium species, with less than or equal to 95% sequence similarity.
• Further evidence of this distinction was provided by rpoB gene sequence data. rpoB gene is commonly used in bacterial taxonomy and identification for its species-specific variations. This analysis revealed that the strains belonged to the same species, indicated by more than 99% sequence similarity. But the strains showed more than 13% sequence divergence when compared to known species, highlighting their distinctness.

Conclusion

• Following the combination of phenotypic, biochemical and gene sequence data, the research establishes these strains as a new species in the Corynebacterium genus, which they propose to name as Corynebacterium uterequi.
• The type strain of this new species is VM 2298(T), stored under numbers CCUG 61235(T) and DSM 45634(T), which was isolated from a mare’s uterus.