Novel hemotrophic mycoplasma identified in naturally infected California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

Volokhov, Dmitriy V.; Norris, Tenaya; Ríos, Carlos; Davidson, Maureen K.; Messick, Joanne B.; Gulland, Frances M. D.; Chizhikov, Vladimir E.

doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2010.10.026

Cited by 47 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, microscopic blood film evaluation is occasionally omitted in multiple published studies on the investigation of hemoplasma infections in domestic or wild animals (20,21,36). The reported prevalence of hemoplasma-infected animals in a variety of species ranges from 0.5 to 56.7% (13,18,20,34,37). In this study, the PCR screening using the HBT-F and HBT-R primers revealed that 62.1% of raccoons were hemoplasma infected.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…The 16S rRNA sequences determined in this study were compared to those available in the GenBank database using procedures, algorithms, and methods for phylogenetic tree inference, as described elsewhere (18,29). To avoid the potential presence for chimeric sequences or PCR-derived variants in the data set, all hemoplasma 16S rRNA PCR products for phylogenetic analyses were directly amplified from blood DNA samples of raccoons and cats with two different DNA polymerases (HotStarTaq and Vent) and were directly sequenced without cloning (77,78).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Animal infection with hemotropic mycoplasmas is usually self-limiting and well controlled by immunocompetent animals; however, the establishment of clinically inapparent chronic bacteremia is possible in stressed, immunosuppressed, immunocompromised, and immunocompetent individuals (7,14,17). The main hematological observation in hemoplasma-infected animals is mild or severe anemia and positive Coombs tests, but infections can occur with or without alterations in hematological parameters (13,18). The intracellular life cycle of some hemotropic mycoplasmas may explain the chronicity of hemotropic mycoplasma infections in their natural hosts (19).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several hemoplasma species have been reported from wild carnivores, including Darwin's foxes (Lycalopex fulvipes), black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus), Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), Iriomote cats (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma), raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus), and Asian mongooses (Herpestes javanicus) (18,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). However, mycoplasma (including hemoplasma) infections of raccoons (Procyon lotor) are poorly studied (26).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Prevalence, Genotype Richness, and Coinfection Patterns of Hemotropic Mycoplasmas in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Environmentally Protected and Urbanized Barrier Islands

Volokhov

Hwang

Chizhikov

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are successful urban adapters and hosts to a number of zoonotic and nonzoonotic pathogens, yet little is known about their hemoplasma infections and how prevalence varies across habitat types. This study identifies hemotropic Mycoplasma species infection in raccoons from urban and undisturbed habitats and compares hemoplasma infection in sympatric urban cats (Felis catus) from the same geographic region. We collected blood from raccoons (n ϭ 95) on an urban coastal island (n ϭ 37) and an undisturbed coastal island (n ϭ 58) and from sympatric urban cats (n ϭ 39) in Georgia, USA. Based on 16S rRNA gene amplification, 62.1% (59/95) of raccoons and 17.9% (7/39) of feral cats were positive for hemoplasma. There was a greater percentage of hemoplasma-infected raccoons on the undisturbed island (79.3% [46/58]) than on the urban island (35.1% [13/37]; 2 ϭ 16.9, df ϭ 1, P ϭ 0.00004). Sequencing of the full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed six hemoplasma genotypes in raccoons, including five novel genotypes that were distinct from three known hemoplasma species identified in the sympatric cats. In addition, the hemoplasma genotypes detected in raccoons were not identified in sympatric cats or vice versa. Although all six hemoplasma genotypes were found in raccoons from urban and undisturbed islands, coinfection patterns differed between sites and among individuals, with the proportion of coinfected raccoons being greater in the undisturbed site. This study shows that raccoons are hosts for several novel hemoplasmas and that habitat type influences infection patterns.IMPORTANCE This study provides information about novel hemoplasmas identified in raccoons (Procyon lotor), which can be used for assessments of the prevalence of these hemoplasmas in raccoon populations and for future studies on the potential pathogenic impacts of these hemoplasmas on raccoon health. Raccoons from the undisturbed habitat had a higher prevalence of hemoplasma infection than urban raccoons. There does not appear to be cross-species transmission of hemotropic mycoplasmas between urban raccoons and feral cats. Raccoons appear to be hosts for several novel hemoplasmas, and habitat type influences infection patterns.KEYWORDS raccoons, Procyon lotor, feral cats, Felis catus, hemoplasmas, wildlife, 16S rRNA gene, phylogenetic analysis, hemoplasma U rbanization is a strong ecological driver that causes significant changes in the composition of wildlife communities and in various intra-and interspecies interactions (1). Ecological responses to urbanization can lead to changes in the dynamics

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prevalence, Genotype Richness, and Coinfection Patterns of Hemotropic Mycoplasmas in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Environmentally Protected and Urbanized Barrier Islands

Volokhov

Hwang

Chizhikov

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…(hemoplasmas, formerly classified as Haemobartonella and Eperythrozoon spp.) (4,12,28,29) appear to have coevolved with animals, including dogs, cats, humans, alpacas, capybaras, and sea lions (1,10,13,(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40). The development of molecular assays, which target primarily the 16S rRNA gene of these microbes, has resulted in the more recent recognition of several novel animal hemoplasmas (5,12,37,41).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomacaque” and Bartonella quintana Bacteremia in Cynomolgus Monkeys

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here, we report latent infections with Bartonella quintana and a hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. in a research colony of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Sequence alignments, evolutionary analysis, and signature nucleotide sequence motifs of the hemotropic Mycoplasma 16S rRNA and RNase P genes indicate the presence of a novel organism. Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) are obligate epierythrocytic bacteria that infect numerous animal species, including Homo sapiens. Infections are often chronic and subclinical; however, some animals and humans develop hemolytic anemia, particularly when stressed or immunosuppressed (1, 2). Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences have defined two major subclusters of hemoplasmas, namely, the Mycoplasma haemosuis and Mycoplasma haemofelis groups (3-7).Historically, diagnosis of hemoplasma infections has relied on cytological examination of stained blood smears. In 1994, Dillberger and colleagues described Haemobartonella-like parasites in five wild-caught anemic cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) that originated from the Philippines; however, the organisms were not characterized phylogenetically (8). For some animal species, the diagnostic sensitivity of a blood smear examination is very poor and unspecific (3, 4, 9). The development of molecular assays, primarily targeting the 16S rRNA and the RNase P genes of these cell wall-deficient uncultivable microbes, has resulted in the recent recognition of several novel animal hemoplasmas (4, 5, 10-13).Bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria that also infect erythrocytes in numerous animal species, including Homo sapiens. Previously, Bartonella quintana DNA was amplified, cloned, and sequenced from lysed erythrocytes, and cultured colonies were grown from peripheral blood collected from a captivebred cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) (14). Bartonella quintana was subsequently isolated from 2 of 36 captive rhesus macaques in China, of which 12 of 33 were B. quintana seroreactive (15).Hemotropic Mycoplasma and Bartonella organisms often cause persistent occult infection in immunocompetent hosts. The extent to which an infection with these bacteria in cynomolgus monkeys involved in a research study might influence assessments or outcomes associated with drug development studies is poorly characterized. This report describes PCR amplification and DNA sequence characterization of a novel hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. found in the blood of 44 of 52 cynomolgus research monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and the isolation of Bartonella quintana from one monkey. These animals were in a chronic toxicity study, and data from the pretest phase of the study are presented. The animals were tested for Mycoplasma and Bartonella on the basis of the findings in a previous toxicity study that raised the possibility of latent infections. Based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA and RNase P gene sequences, we propose "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomacaque" as the name for the novel hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. identified in this ...

show abstract

Mycoplasma

Brown

May

Bradbury

et al. 2018

Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

My.co.plas'ma. Gr. masc. n. myces a fungus; Gr. neut. n. plasma something formed or molded, a form; N.L. neut. n. Mycoplasma fungus form. Tenericutes / Mollicutes / Mycoplasmatales / Mycoplasmataceae / Mycoplasma Bacteria in the genus Mycoplasma are small (300–800 nm in diameter) pleomorphic cells devoid of a cell wall. Culturable species usually form very small (<1 mm) umbonate colonies on agar. Their use of the codon UGA to encode tryptophan is a distinctive characteristic of all species examined to date. As a consequence of their small (usually 0.5–1.5 Mb) genomes they have limited intermediary metabolism and are nutritionally fastidious, requiring exogenous sugars or arginine, cholesterol or other sterols, peptides, and free nucleic acids for axenic growth. In nature, all species are obligate commensals or parasites with varying degrees of specificity for a wide range of vertebrate hosts. The type species Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides and Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae are highly virulent animal pathogens subject to strict international regulations, but the genus is perhaps better known for Mycoplasma pneumoniae , the agent of primary atypical “walking” pneumonia in humans. The relative biological simplicity of mycoplasmas confers significant advantages for current proteomics, metabolomics, synthetic genomics, and systems biology research. For example, the recent chemical synthesis and transplantation of intact chromosomes demonstrated that it is possible to enliven a mycoplasma fully capable of autonomous replication with an artificially constructed genome. DNA G + C content ( mol %): 23–40. Type species : Mycoplasma mycoides (Borrel, Dujardin‐Beaumetz, Jeantet and Jouan 1910) Freundt 1955, 73 ( Asterococcus mycoides Borrel, Dujardin‐Beaumetz, Jeantet and Jouan 1910, 179).

show abstract

Novel hemotrophic mycoplasma identified in naturally infected California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

Cited by 47 publications

References 28 publications

Prevalence, Genotype Richness, and Coinfection Patterns of Hemotropic Mycoplasmas in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Environmentally Protected and Urbanized Barrier Islands

Prevalence, Genotype Richness, and Coinfection Patterns of Hemotropic Mycoplasmas in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Environmentally Protected and Urbanized Barrier Islands

“Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomacaque” and Bartonella quintana Bacteremia in Cynomolgus Monkeys

Mycoplasma

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About