Update on Accepted Novel Bacterial Isolates Derived from Human Clinical Specimens and Taxonomic Revisions Published in 2020 and 2021

A look at staphylococci from the one health perspective

Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococcal species are resident and transient multihost colonizers as well as conditional pathogens. Especially S. aureus represents an excellent model bacterium for the "One Health" concept because of its dynamics at the human-animal interface and versatility with respect to host adaptation. The development of antimicrobial resistance plays another integral part. This overview will focus on studies at the human-animal interface with respect to livestock farming and to companion animals, as well as on staphylococci in wildlife. In this context transmissions of staphylococci and of antimicrobial resistance genes between animals and humans are of particular significance.

Update on novel validly published taxa of bacteria isolated from domestic animals described in 2022

Expansion of our knowledge of the microbial world continues to progress at a rapid rate and carries with it an associated need for recognizing and understanding the implications of those changes. Here, we describe additions of novel taxa from domestic animals published in 2022 that are validly published per the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. These included new members of Staphylococcaceae, Moraxella nasovis sp. nov. in sheep with respiratory disease, three additions to Campylobacteraceae (including one from chickens with spotty liver disease), and multiple additions of organisms from the microbiota of dogs, pigs, and especially honeybees and other important pollinators. Noteworthy additions were associated with diseases of cattle, including mastitis, endocarditis, orchitis, and endometritis. Also described in 2022 was Pseudochrobactrum algeriense sp. nov., a member of the Brucellaceae family, isolated from the mammary lymph nodes of cows.

An update on novel taxa and revised taxonomic status of bacteria isolated from non-domestic animals described in 2022

Numbers of new and revised microbial taxa are continuously expanding, and the rapid accumulation of novel bacterial species is challenging to keep up with in the best of circumstances. With that in mind, following the template of reports on prokaryotic species isolated from humans, this is now the second publication summarizing new and revised taxa in non-domestic animal species in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. The majority of new taxa were obtained as part of programs to identify bacteria from mucosal surfaces and the gastrointestinal tract from healthy wildlife. A few notable bacteria included new Erysipelothrix spp. from mammalian and aquatic sources and a novel Bartonella spp. isolated from a rodent, both of which could be considered members of emerging and re-emerging genera with pathogenic potential in humans and animals.

Valid and accepted novel bacterial taxa derived from human clinical specimens and taxonomic revisions published in 2022

Although some nomenclature changes have caused consternation among clinical microbiologists, the discovery of novel taxa and improving classification of existing groups of organisms is exciting and adds to our understanding of microbial pathogenesis. In this mini-review, we present an in-depth summary of novel taxonomic designations and revisions to prokaryotic taxonomy that were published in 2022. Henceforth, these bacteriology taxonomic summaries will appear annually. Several of the novel Gram-positive organisms have been associated with disease, namely, the Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii-like organisms Corynebacterium parakroppenstedtii sp. nov. and Corynebacterium pseudokroppenstedtii sp. nov. A newly described Streptococcus species, Streptococcus toyakuensis sp. nov., is noteworthy for exhibiting multi-drug resistance. Among the novel Gram-negative pathogens, Vibrio paracholerae sp. nov. stands out as an organism associated with diarrhea and sepsis and has probably been co-circulating with pandemic Vibrio cholerae for decades. Many new anaerobic organisms have been described in this past year largely from genetic assessments of gastrointestinal microbiome collections. With respect to revised taxa, as discussed in previous reviews, the genus Bacillus continues to undergo further division into additional genera and reassignment of existing species into them. Reassignment of two subspecies of Fusobacterium nucleatum to species designations (Fusobacterium animalis sp. nov. and Fusobacterium vincentii sp. nov.) is also noteworthy. As was typical of previous reviews, literature updates for selected clinically relevant organisms discovered between 2017 and 2021 have been included.

If You're Not Confused, You're Not Paying Attention: Ochrobactrum Is Not Brucella

Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular parasites that cause brucellosis, a severe animal and human disease. Recently, a group of taxonomists merged the brucellae with the primarily free-living, phylogenetically related Ochrobactrum spp. in the genus Brucella. This change, founded only on global genomic analysis and the fortuitous isolation of some opportunistic Ochrobactrum spp. from medically compromised patients, has been automatically included in culture collections and databases. We argue that clinical and environmental microbiologists should not accept this nomenclature, and we advise against its use because (i) it was presented without in-depth phylogenetic analyses and did not consider alternative taxonomic solutions; (ii) it was launched without the input of experts in brucellosis or Ochrobactrum; (iii) it applies a non-consensus genus concept that disregards taxonomically relevant differences in structure, physiology, population structure, core-pangenome assemblies, genome structure, genomic traits, clinical features, treatment, prevention, diagnosis, genus description rules, and, above all, pathogenicity; and (iv) placing these two bacterial groups in the same genus creates risks for veterinarians, medical doctors, clinical laboratories, health authorities, and legislators who deal with brucellosis, a disease that is particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries. Based on all this information, we urge microbiologists, bacterial collections, genomic databases, journals, and public health boards to keep the Brucella and Ochrobactrum genera separate to avoid further bewilderment and harm.

An Update on Novel Taxa and Revised Taxonomic Status of Bacteria Isolated from Domestic Animals Described in 2018 to 2021

Novel bacterial taxonomy and nomenclature revisions can have significant impacts on clinical practice, disease epidemiology, and veterinary microbiology laboratory operations. Expansion of research on the microbiota of humans, animals, and insects has significant potential impacts on the taxonomy of organisms of clinical interest. Implications of taxonomic changes may be especially important when considering zoonotic diseases. Here, we address novel taxonomy and nomenclature revisions of veterinary significance. Noteworthy discussion centers around descriptions of novel mastitis pathogens in Streptococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, and Actinomycetaceae; bovine reproductive tract pathogens in Corynebacteriaceae; novel members of Mannheimia spp., Leptospira spp., and Mycobacterium spp.; the transfer of Ochrobactrum spp. to Brucella spp.; and revisions to the genus Mycoplasma.