Open AccessBacillus weihenstephanensis characteristics are present in B acillus cereus and B acillus mycoides strains
Author(s) -
Soufiane Brahim,
Côté JeanCharles
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/1574-6968.12106
Subject(s) - bacillus cereus , bacillus anthracis , bacillus thuringiensis , biology , cereus , microbiology and biotechnology , bacillus (shape) , bacteria , genetics
The B acillus cereus group comprises seven bacterial species: B acillus cereus , B acillus anthracis , B acillus thuringiensis , B acillus mycoides , B acillus pseudomycoides , B acillus cytotoxicus, and B acillus weihenstephanensis . B acillus weihenstephanensis is distinguished based on its capability to grow at 7 °C but not at 43 °C, and the presence of specific signature sequences in the 16S rRNA and cspA genes and in several housekeeping genes: glpF , gmK , purH, and tpi . B acillus weihenstephanensis ‐specific signature sequences were found in some B . cereus and B . mycoides strains suggesting psychrotolerance. This was confirmed by growth at 7 °C but not at 43 °C. The other B . cereus and B . mycoides strains and all B . anthracis , B . thuringiensis, and B . pseudomycoides harbored the mesophilic signature sequences. The strains tested grew at 43 °C but did not grow at 7 °C. A maximum‐likelihood phylogenetic tree was inferred from comparisons of the concatenated nucleotide sequences. Three groups and one branch were revealed. Group I, II, and III comprised the mesophilic B . cereus , some mesophilic B . mycoides, and all B . anthracis and B . thuringiensis strains; the psychrotolerant B . cereus and B . mycoides, and all B . weihenstephanensis strains; and some mesophilic B . mycoides and all B . pseudomycoides strains, respectively. The branch corresponds to the single B . cytotoxicus strain. Based on psychrotolerance and multilocus sequence analysis, further confirmed by comparisons of amino acid sequences, we show that some B . cereus and B . mycoides strains should be reclassified as B . weihenstephanensis .