Acinetobacter lwoffii: Difference between revisions
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A. lwoffii is a Gram-negative species of bacteria that is non-motile, meaning it does not have its own mechanism of movement. The shape of A. lwoffii bacteria is described as a coccobacilli, a mix between a round shape and a rod shape (3). Under conditions of dessication, A. lwoffii tend to exist more as round cells, and may even increase the thickness of their cell walls (5). | |||
=5. Metabolic processes= | =5. Metabolic processes= | ||
Describe important sources of energy, electrons, and carbon (i.e. trophy) for the organism/organisms you are focusing on, as well as important molecules it/they synthesize(s). | Describe important sources of energy, electrons, and carbon (i.e. trophy) for the organism/organisms you are focusing on, as well as important molecules it/they synthesize(s). | ||
Revision as of 14:45, 6 December 2021
1. Classification
a. Higher order taxa
Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Gammaproteobacteria; Pseudomonadales; Moraxellaceae; Acinetobacter; lwoffii [1]].
2. Description and significance
Acinetobacter lwoffii is a Gram negative, aerobic bacterium important in the skin microbiome and is found in the normal flora of the skin, oropharynx, and perineum (3). A. lwoffii lives on the skin of healthy humans, in soil and plants, in frozen foods and poultry, and in human specimens, such as blood and urine (3). However, it is dangerous upon entering the bloodstream as it is largely resistant to antimicrobials, meaning it can become dangerously pathogenic (3). A. lwoffii is one of the most frequent species found in hospital samples, after Acinetobacter baumannii (3, 4). A. lwoffii possesses the ability to survive and reproduce after desiccation in clinical and hospital environments at room temperature and is often a source of infection in hospital settings (5). Current research is focused on what mechanisms make A. lwoffii resistant to antimicrobials and allow it to survive harsh environmental conditions.
3. Genome structure
Whole-genome sequencing has been performed on multiple strains of A. lwoffii. The genome of A. lwoffii WJ10621, a clinical strain of A. lwoffii that is resistant to several drugs, contains 3,419,011 bases and 3,394 predicted coding sequences, with a G+C content of 41.57% (6). The genome contains 83 tandem repeat regions, 6 copies of the 5S rRNA gene, 7 copies of the 23S rRNA gene, and 6 copies of the 16S rRNA gene, as well as 91 predicted tRNA genes (6). In this genome, 62 genes were assigned to the “resistance to antibiotics and toxic compounds” subsystem and 56 gene products showed at least 50% protein similarity with antibiotic resistance genes in the Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database (ARDB) (7). A total of 26 genes coding for cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance and 14 coding for multidrug resistance efflux pumps were predicted (6). This strain contains genes involved in amino acid metabolism (309 genes) and carbohydrate metabolism (243 genes) (6). There are 84 predicted transposase genes distributed in the genome, which suggests the existence of frequent horizontal gene transfer events (6).
Whole-genome sequencing was also conducted on five strains of A. lwoffii (ED23-25, ED45-23, ED9-5a, VS15, and AK30A) that were isolated from permafrost sediments collected from different regions of Kolyma Lowland (8). These environmental strains of A. lwoffii have five large plasmids that contain genes of heavy metal resistance. There are genes that encode resistance to salts of mercury, arsenic, chromium, copper, and cobalt-zinc-cadmium, such as the czc, mer, ars, and cop operon (8). These genes encode for transporter proteins that regulate the amount of heavy metal in the cell by exporting excess amounts of heavy metals out of the cell. This transport system confers resistance to these heavy metals and allows A. lwoffii to survive in conditions of extreme heavy metal concentrations (8).
4. Cell structure
A. lwoffii is a Gram-negative species of bacteria that is non-motile, meaning it does not have its own mechanism of movement. The shape of A. lwoffii bacteria is described as a coccobacilli, a mix between a round shape and a rod shape (3). Under conditions of dessication, A. lwoffii tend to exist more as round cells, and may even increase the thickness of their cell walls (5).
5. Metabolic processes
Describe important sources of energy, electrons, and carbon (i.e. trophy) for the organism/organisms you are focusing on, as well as important molecules it/they synthesize(s).
6. Ecology
Habitat; symbiosis; contributions to the environment.
7. Pathology
How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.
8. Current Research
Include information about how this microbe (or related microbes) are currently being studied and for what purpose
9. References
[1][Schoch C.L. et al. 2020. Taxonomy browser (Acinetobacter lwoffii). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 20 November 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=28090&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock]
