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Gabriel Tai

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria – Actinobacteria – Actinobacteria – Actinomycetales – Micrococcaceae – Rothia

Species

Rothia dentocariosa

Type strain: ATCC 17931, CCUG 35437, CIP 81.83, DSM 43762, DSM 46363, NBRC 12531, NCTC 10917, NRRL B-8017.

Description and significance

Rothia dentocariosa is a described as a pleomorphic, gram-positive bacteria most commonly found residing as part of the human micoflora in the oral cavity and the pharynx. (1) First discovered in 1967, R. dentocariosa was first isolated from dental plaques and caries and is included in the family, Actinomycetaceae due to its filamentous, pleomorphic morphology. (6) Due to the bacterium being pleomorphic, its morphology can be differentiated into a coccal, bacillary, or diptheroidal cells. (5) The morphology and physiology of R. dentocariosa is closely related to Actinomyces as well as several species from the genus Nocardia. (6) Examples of citations ^[1], ^[2]

Genome structure

Representative genome: Rothia dentocariosa ATCC 17931. R. dentocariosa ATCC 17931 was isolated from the oral cavity for complete genome sequencing. ATCC 17931 strain comprises of a circular genome over 2 million base pairs in length. (3) The genome consists of 2,126 genes with 2,040 coding regions for protein production. (3)

Cell structure and metabolism

R. dentocariosa is characterized as non-acid-fast, non-pigmented, non-spore-forming, and non-haemolytic bacterium. (4) The peptidoglycan of R.dentocariosa is type A3a, having a D-alanine found in position 4, and an L-lysine in position 3. The cell wall is mainly comprised of galactose, fructose, glucose, and ribose. R. dentocariosa undergoes glucose metabolism in a fermentative manner, with the terminal products being lactic and acetic acids. (4)

Ecology

R. dentocariosa, being mainly an aerobic bacterium, can still grow in anaerobic conditions in a slower rate hindered by the presence of CO2. (4)

Pathology

R. dentocariosa can raise complications such as periodontal disease when established with other bacteria of the oral microflora. (5) The presence of anaerobic and facultative anaerobic microbes isolated along with R. dentocariosa from pericoronal pockets can suggest severe pericoronitis. (5) Peridontal disease is therefore a risk factor for individuals infected with R. dentocariosa. (5) R. dentocariosa is also known to be associated with other complications such as bacteremia, septic arthritis, and endophthalmitis. In rare but severe infections, R. dentocariosa is capable to cause infective endocarditis in infected individuals. (7) Individuals suffering from prior heart conditions are frequently found to develop endocarditis caused by R. dentocariosa. (2)

Application to biotechnology

Bioengineering, biotechnologically relevant enzyme/compound production, drug targets,…

Current research

Summarise some of the most recent discoveries regarding this species.

References

References examples

1. Sahm, K., MacGregor, B.J., Jørgensen, B.B., and Stahl, D.A. (1999) Sulphate reduction and vertical distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria quantified by rRNA slotblot hybridization in a coastal marine sediment. Environ Microbiol 1: 65-74.

2. Human Oral Microbiome

This page is written by Gabriel Tai for the MICR3004 course, Semester 2, 2016