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Kieran Maytom Bench ID Date

Classification

Higher order taxa

Kingdom – Domain – Phylum – Class – Order – Family – Genus

Domain = Bacteria

Phylum = Firmicutes

Class = Negativicutes

Order = Veillonellaes

Family = Veillonellaceae

Species

The species name is Veillonella parvula, with the type-strain been strain [ATCC 10790]

Description and significance

Give a general description of the species (e.g. where/when was it first discovered, where is it commonly found, has it been cultured, functional role, type of bacterium [Gram+/-], morphology, etc.) and explain why it is important to study this microorganism. Examples of citations ^[1], ^[2]

Genome structure

Select a strain for which genome information (e.g. size, plasmids, distinct genes, etc.) is available.

Cell structure and metabolism

Cell wall, biofilm formation, motility, metabolic functions.

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A KEGG Map that shows thee LPS Biosynthesis pathway as it exists in Veillonella parvula (with green boxes been genes present, white boxes been genes absent

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Ecology

Aerobe/anaerobe, habitat (location in the oral cavity, potential other environments) and microbe/host interactions.

Pathology

Do these microorganisms cause disease in the oral cavity or elsewhere?

Dental caries –

There is at least one case study of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTIs) caused by V. parvula which had symptoms including confusion, urinary retention, fever, general weakness & leucocytosis. This case study indicates that V. parvula UTIs can be treated with metronidazole, carbapenems and ceftriaxone.

While rare, V. parvula has been implicated as the causative organisms in several meningitis cases, at least one of which was associated with severe sinusitis. Other organisms that might be co-infecting the host in cases of V. parvula-associated meningitis include Prevotella intermedia, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Enterobacter cloacae and Propionibacterium acnes. When V. parvula-associated meningitis arises, treatment should include metronidazole & ceftriaxone.

It has also been a known cause of chronic anaerobic pneumonitis when in a co-infection with Fusobacterium . The symptomology of this disease include fever, haemoptysis and intermittent sneezing. The recommended antibiotics to use when Veillonella is a causative agent of pneumonitis include chloramphenicol, clindamycin, coamoxyclav, imipenem, and metronidazole.

Other conditions that are known to be caused by V. parvula include osteomyelitis, bacteraemia (usually in association with osteomyelitis but not always ),

Application to biotechnology

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

Current research

Summarise some of the most recent discoveries regarding this species.

In 2015, a study on a mouse model of cystic fibrosis suggests that if both Pseuodomonas aeruginosa and V. parvula were co-infecting individuals with cystic fibrosis, then the presence of V. parvula will result in higher P. aeruginosa load in the hosts, resulting in worse clinical outcomes for those co-infected with both organisms. Within the cystic fibrosis tumours, V. parvula was found in the inner core of the tumour where it formed globular colonies whilst P. aeruginosa (an aerobic species) was found in the outer rim of the tumour tissue. However, as this was done in a mouse model, caution must be applied before applying these results to humans.

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 <Kieran Maytom> for the MICR3004 course, Semester 2, 2016