Clostridium baratii

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Firmicutes; Clostridia; Clostridiales; clostridiaceae [Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]

Species

Clostridium Baratii NCBI: [1]

Clostridium baratii

Description and significance

Clostridium baratii derives its name from the French bacteriologist Barat. This species of bacteria was first identified in 1938 by Prévot. C. baratii are gram positive rod-shaped bacteria, the colonies of which can appear round or irregular and have a diameter of 2mm or smaller. C. baratii do not typically appear in groups and are nonmotile. This species can produce spores which are round or oval and located at or near the terminus of the cell(1).

C. baratii is a toxin found to cause botulism, most notably in infants (2, 3).

Clostridium genus: [[2]].

Genome and genetics

a. To what major branch of the prokaryotes do they belong? (see textbook or Bergey’s). List 2-3 closely related but separate species or genera of bacteria.

b. Briefly describe any extra-chromosomal elements or genetic tools that are used to study the bacterium: viruses, plasmids, transposons that allow genetic manipulation and analysis.

c. Has the genome or genomes been sequenced? If so, include the website for the database and one or two highlights of the genome. Also indicate genome size (base pairs), %G+C (nucleotide base composition) and number of genes, and specific genes or gene regions that are unique to this organism. If it has not been sequenced, give its closest relative that has been sequenced, its website, and some general information about the related sequence.

Example: The sequence of Haemophilus influenzae was determined using whole genome shotgun sequencing (Fleischmann et al. 1995).

Nutrition and metabolism

C. baratii is an anaerobic bacteria species (1). Through fermentation of glucose in PYG broth, C. baratii can produce lactic acid, acetic acid, and butyric acid, as well as the potentially volatile product hydrogen gas (1). This bacteria also produces ammonia in deep agar cultures (1). Additionally, C. baratii converts pyruvate to acetate and butyrate but does not utilize lactate (1).

C. baratii is grown in the laboratory in Peptone Yeast Glucose broth and on blood agar plates and produces the most abundant growth at temperatures between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius (1). It requires salinity below 6.5 percent sodium chloride (1). C. baratii grows in PYG broth, which has a nearly neutral pH, but over several days of culture growth the pH lowers to between 4.5 and 4.8 (1, catalog).

C. baratii reduces the indicator dyes neutral red and resazurin (1).

Ecology / Pathology

Ecology: How is your microorganism important in the ecosystem where it is found? How does it impact other organisms in the environment (could be positive or negative impact)?

Pathology: How does the microbe cause disease as it interacts with the host? Describe any specific toxins or pathways that are used for invading and causing disease in the host. What treatment is used to inhibit or kill the microbe?

Current Research

Describe recent research and findings that have been done with this organism. The research can be clinical, applied or basic research. This section should be based on 2 recent papers (10 years or less) and summarized in your own words.

References

[1] De Vos P, Garrity GM, Jones D, Krieg NR, Ludwig W, Rainey FA, Schleifer KH, Whitman WB, editors. Bergey’s manual of systematic bacteriology (2nd ed., vol 3). Dordrecht: Springer; 2009. p. 756-757.

[2] Shirey TB, Dykes JK, Lúquez C, Maslanka SE, Raphael BH. Characterizing the fecal microbiota of infants with botulism. Microbiome [Internet]. 2015 [cited 12 Feb 2017];3(54). Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26593441

[3] Tréhard H, Poujol I, Mazuet C, Blanc Q, Gillet Y, Rossignol F, Popoff M, Jourdan Da Silva N. A cluster of three cases of botulism due to Clostridium baratii Type F, France, August 2015. Eurosurveillance [Internet]. 2016 [cited 13 Feb 2017];21(4). Available from http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=21360

Authored by Emma Wingert, a student of CJ Funk at John Brown University