Olegusella massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., strain KHD7T, a new bacterial genus isolated from the female genital tract of a patient with bacterial vaginosis

Megasphaera vaginalis sp. nov. and Anaerococcus vaginimassiliensis sp. nov., new bacteria isolated from vagina of French woman with bacterial vaginosis

Using the culturomics method, two strains were isolated, identified and characterized following the taxonogenomics concept. Megasphaera vaginalis sp. nov. strain Marseille-P4512 (= CSURP4512) and Anaerococcus vaginimassiliensis sp. nov. strain Marseille-P4857 (= CSURP4857) were isolated from the vagina of a French woman. The phylogenic tree, phenotypic criteria and genomic analysis described here clearly show that these two bacteria are different from previously known bacterial species with standing in nomenclature and new members of Firmicutes phylum.

Microbiota in vaginal health and pathogenesis of recurrent vulvovaginal infections: a critical review

Recurrent vulvovaginal infections (RVVI) has not only become an epidemiological and clinical problem but also include large social and psychological consequences. Understanding the mechanisms of both commensalism and pathogenesis are necessary for the development of efficient diagnosis and treatment strategies for these enigmatic vaginal infections. Through this review, an attempt has been made to analyze vaginal microbiota (VMB) from scratch and to provide an update on its current understanding in relation to health and common RVVI i.e. bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiaisis and Trichomoniasis, making the present review first of its kind. For this, potentially relevant studies were retrieved from data sources and critical analysis of the literature was made. Though, culture-independent methods have greatly unfolded the mystery regarding vaginal bacterial microbiome, there are only a few studies regarding the composition and diversity of vaginal mycobiome and different Trichomonas vaginalis strains. This scenario suggests a need of further studies based on comparative genomics of RVVI pathogens to improve our perceptive of RVVI pathogenesis that is still not clear (Fig. 5). Besides this, the review details the rationale for Lactobacilli dominance and changes that occur in healthy VMB throughout a women’s life. Moreover, the list of possible agents continues to expand and new species recognised in both health and VVI are updated in this review. The review concludes with the controversies challenging the widely accepted dogma i.e. “VMB dominated with Lactobacilli is healthier than a diverse VMB”. These controversies, over the past decade, have complicated the definition of vaginal health and vaginal infections with no definite conclusion. Thus, further studies on newly recognised microbial agents may reveal answers to these controversies. Conversely, VMB of women could be an answer but it is not enough to just look at the microbiology. We have to look at the woman itself, as VMB which is fine for one woman may be troublesome for others. These differences in women’s response to the same VMB may be determined by a permutation of behavioural, cultural, genetic and various other anonymous factors, exploration of which may lead to proper definition of vaginal health and disease.

Taxono-genomics description of 'Lactobacillus raoultii sp. nov.', strain Marseille-P4006T, a new Lactobacillus species isolated from the female genital tract of a patient with bacterial vaginosis

Strain Marseille-P4006^T, a Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-sporulating, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, was isolated from the vaginal swab of a 45-year-old woman with recurrent bacterial vaginosis. We studied its phenotypic characteristics and sequenced its whole genome. The major fatty acids were C_16:0 (48%), C_19:1n9 (14%) and C_18:0 (11%). The 3 070 142-bp-long genome contains 2855 protein-coding genes and 68 RNAs. Strain Marseille-P4006^T exhibited 98.1% 16S rRNA similarity with Lactobacillus farraginis, the closest species phylogenetically. Thus, strain Marseille-P4006 is distinct enough to represent a new species for which we propose the name Lactobacillus raoultii sp. nov. The type strain is Marseille-P4006^T.

Naming microorganisms: the contribution of the IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France

The number of isolated new microorganisms has dramatically increased after the readaption of culture using the culturomics approach. Each of these microorganisms is deposited in an international strain collection institute, with its name being attributed and published by the scientist who isolated it. The attributed name is of Latin or Latinized origin and chosen on the basis of the geographical location of the sample collection, the institute or geographical region where the project was being performed, the name of a concerned scientist, and characteristics of the sample or the microorganism. Our institution has played an important role in the isolation of new microorganisms, with the first effort reporting 468 new bacterial species (3% of the bacterial species isolated at least once worldwide) and 327 species isolated for the first time from human beings, which in turn resulted in an increase of 30% of the total number of microorganisms isolated. Additionally, more than 100 giant viruses, including seven new species, have been isolated at our institute. In the present work, after recalling the rules of nomenclature, we detail the naming of the new microorganisms chosen at our laboratory. The most common species name was massiliensis, attributed 161 times. We consider it imperative for the cultivators, who have frequently made considerable efforts in the field of microbial culture, to be the ones who name the newly isolated microorganisms, taking into consideration the Latinized nomenclature standards.

Rubneribacter badeniensis gen. nov., sp. nov. and Enteroscipio rubneri gen. nov., sp. nov., new members of the Eggerthellaceae isolated from human faeces

Two novel, anaerobic, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterial strains, ResAG-85^T and ResAG-96^T, were isolated from a faecal sample of a male human. 16S rRNA gene sequences analyses indicated that these strains represent a distinct lineage within the family Eggerthellaceae. Strain ResAG-85^T showed 92.3 % similarity to the type strains of the genera Eggerthella and Gordonibacter. Strain ResAG-96^T clustered together with Paraeggerthella hongkongensis and the newly (but not validly) published genus 'Arabia massiliensis' (94.8 % similarity). Analysis of quinones revealed that MK-5 (21 % in ResAG-85^T and 95 % in ResAG-96^T) and MK-7 (53 % in strain ResAG-85^T) were present, which were described for the first time for members of the Eggerthellaceae. Furthermore, MK-6 was present in both strains (25 % ResAG-85^T and 5 % in ResAG-96^T). The polar lipids detected in ResAG-85^T and ResAG-96^T consisted of eight and six glycolipids, respectively. Both strains possessed three phospholipids, one phosphatidylglycerol and one diphosphatidylglycerol. Analysis of fatty acids revealed that the percentage of total branched fatty acids was relatively high in comparison to related strains with 42 and 50 % of strains ResAG-85^T and ResAG-96^T but comparable to the value obtained for Gordonibacter pamelaeae DSM 19378^T. On the basis of this polyphasic approach including molecular (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and biochemical methods (analysis of fatty acids, quinones, polar lipids, Rapid ID 32A and API 20A), the new genera and species Rubneribacter badeniensis with ResAG-85^T (=DSM 105129^T=JCM 32272^T) and Enteroscipio rubneri with ResAG-96^T (=DSM 105130^T=JCM 32273^T) as the type and only strains are described.

Characterization of a New Ezakiella Isolated from the Human Vagina: Genome Sequence and Description of Ezakiella massiliensis sp. nov

The study of the vaginal microbiota using the "culturomics concept" allowed us to isolate, from the vaginal swab of an asymptomatic 20-year-old woman who had sexual relations with another woman with bacterial vaginosis, an unknown Gram-positive anaerobic coccus-shaped bacterium that was designated strain Marseille-P2951^T and characterized using taxono-genomics. Strain Marseille-P2951^T is non-motile and non-spore forming and exhibits catalase and oxidase activities. Its 16S rRNA gene-based identification showed 98.5% identity with Ezakiella peruensis, the phylogenetically closest species. The major fatty acids are C18:1n9 (58%) and C16:0 (22%). With a 1,741,785 bp length, the G+C content of the genome is 36.69%. Of a total of 1657 genes, 1606 are protein-coding genes and 51 RNAs. Also, 1123 genes are assigned a putative function and 127 are ORFans. Phenotypic, phylogenetic, and genomics analyses revealed that strain Marseille-P2951^T (=CSUR P2951 =DSM 103122) is distinct and represents a new species of the genus Ezakiella, for which the name Ezakiella massiliensis sp. nov. is proposed.