Turicibacter sanguinis

Turicibacter sanguinis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Bacillati
Phylum:	Bacillota
Class:	Erysipelotrichia
Order:	Erysipelotrichales
Family:	Turicibacteraceae
Genus:	Turicibacter
Species:	T. sanguinis
Binomial name
Turicibacter sanguinis Bosshard et al. 2002
Type strain
DSM 14220 = MOL361 = NCCB 100008

Turicibacter sanguinis is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive, rod-shaped species of bacterium in the family Turicibacteraceae. It is the type species of the genus Turicibacter. The type strain, MOL361, was isolated from a blood culture obtained from a febrile patient with acute appendicitis. Genome-confirmed strains have also been cultured from human feces.

Taxonomy

The specific epithet sanguinis is a Latin genitive noun meaning "of blood", referring to the isolation source of the type strain.

Genome comparisons have shown that not every strain historically identified as T. sanguinis using broad 16S rRNA sequence similarity belongs to the same genomic species. Nine human- and mouse-derived isolates identified using a 97% full-length 16S rRNA similarity threshold separated into at least three genomic groups. Within-group average nucleotide identity values exceeded 98.3%, whereas values between groups were 74.95–77.43%. One of these groups had 98.8% average nucleotide identity to Turicibacter bilis.

Characteristics

Cells of the type strain are long, irregular rods measuring approximately 0.5–2.0 by 0.7–7.0 µm and may form chains. The bacterium is non-motile, catalase-negative, and oxidase-negative. It has a fermentative, chemoorganotrophic metabolism and grows between 25 and 46 °C, with optimal growth at 37 °C. Its optimal pH is approximately 7.5.

In the original biochemical tests, maltose and weakly 5-ketogluconate were the only carbohydrates utilized. Lactate was the principal fermentation product, accompanied by a small amount of acetate.

The type strain was originally reported as non-spore-forming. In contrast, the genome-confirmed human fecal strain K031 formed heat-resistant endospores when grown anaerobically on YCFA agar. The spores contained a core, cortex, inner and outer coat layers, and a crust-like outer layer. Thin and thick outer-coat morphotypes were observed.

Laboratory assays showed that MOL361 deconjugated both taurine- and glycine-conjugated bile acids and dehydrogenated cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. Experiments in gnotobiotic mice found that colonization by MOL361 and other Turicibacter strains altered bile-acid and lipid profiles in a strain-dependent manner.