Oral Disease in Animals: The Australian Perspective. Isolation and Characterisation of Black-Pigmented Bacteria from the Oral Cavity of Marsupials

Porphyromonas loveana sp. nov., isolated from the oral cavity of Australian marsupials

“…Further phylogenetic characterization confirmed that some of these isolates represented a monophyletic lineage closely related to but distinct from P. gingivalis and P. gulae (Mikkelsen et al, 2008). Whether these P. gingivalis-like isolates have a role in disease was not determined in these studies (Bird et al, 2002;Mikkelsen et al, 2008). However, the frequency of isolation was increased in ageing koalas with signs of periodontal disease (Bird et al, 2002).…”

“…Whether these P. gingivalis-like isolates have a role in disease was not determined in these studies (Bird et al, 2002;Mikkelsen et al, 2008). However, the frequency of isolation was increased in ageing koalas with signs of periodontal disease (Bird et al, 2002). In the current study, on the basis of more detailed phenotypic and genetic characterization, we propose that these isolates from the oral cavity of Australian marsupials represent a novel species, Porphyromonas loveana sp.…”

“…We have previously reported the isolation of P. gingivalislike bacteria from the oral cavity of six species of marsupial, namely brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), koalas (Phascolartctos cinereus), eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), the musky rat kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), pretty-faced wallaby (Macropus parryi) and the red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) (Bird et al, 2002). Further phylogenetic characterization confirmed that some of these isolates represented a monophyletic lineage closely related to but distinct from P. gingivalis and P. gulae (Mikkelsen et al, 2008).…”

“…nov.) were black-pigmented, strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-sporing coccobacilli that exhibited haemagglutination with sheep erythrocytes, no fluorescence under long-wavelength light and using special-potency antibiotic discs, an antibiogram phenotype profile of kanamycin (1000 µg) and colistin (10 µg) resistance, and vancomycin (5 µg) susceptibility (Bird et al, 2002). Further, using a panel of fluorogenic 4-methylumbelliferyl-linked substrates (Maiden et al, 1996), all had identical profiles, being positive for the enzymes b-D-galactosidase and Nacetyl-b-D-glucosamidase and for trypsin-like activity using benzoylarginine-7-amido-methylcoumarin, and negative for the enzymes a-L-arabinosidase, a-L-fucosidase, a-D-glucosidase and b-D-glucosidase (Bird et al, 2002).…”

“…nov.) were black-pigmented, strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-sporing coccobacilli that exhibited haemagglutination with sheep erythrocytes, no fluorescence under long-wavelength light and using special-potency antibiotic discs, an antibiogram phenotype profile of kanamycin (1000 µg) and colistin (10 µg) resistance, and vancomycin (5 µg) susceptibility (Bird et al, 2002). Further, using a panel of fluorogenic 4-methylumbelliferyl-linked substrates (Maiden et al, 1996), all had identical profiles, being positive for the enzymes b-D-galactosidase and Nacetyl-b-D-glucosamidase and for trypsin-like activity using benzoylarginine-7-amido-methylcoumarin, and negative for the enzymes a-L-arabinosidase, a-L-fucosidase, a-D-glucosidase and b-D-glucosidase (Bird et al, 2002). In addition, using an API-ZYM system (bioMerieux) all the strains were positive for alkaline phosphatase, esterase (weakly positive), esterase lipase (weakly positive), trypsin, acid phosphatase (weakly to strongly positive), naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase (weakly positive) and N-acetyl-b-glucosaminidase, but negative for lipase, leucine arylamidase, chymotrypsin, a-glucosidase and a-fucosidase (Bird et al, 2002).…”