Eikenella corrodens
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Eikenella corrodens
Classification
Higher order taxa
Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Betaproteobacteria; Neisseriales; Neisseriaceae; Eikenella
Species
Eikenella corrodensDescription and significance
Eikenella corrodens is a periodontopathogen that inhibits the human oral cavity, intestinal tract, and genital tract. It was first isolated by Henriksen in 1948 and was first classified as Bacteriode corrodens by Eiken in 1958. In 1972, Jackson and Goodman renamed it “Eikenella corrodens” to avoid mixing it up with Bacteroides ureolyticus. Eikenella corrodens exists in colonies that typically release a musty or bleachy smell [12]. It grows at a temperature from 35oC to 37oC. Its strain type is ATCC 23834, DSM 8340 [8]. Eikenella corrodens’s plasmid DNA, pMU1, is used in various researches such as on pilus-formation and colony morphology [2]. Under a microscope, one can see three different regions of Eikenella corrodens: a clear and moist center, a visible ring that appears as droplet, and an outer growth ring. A unique feature of this bacterium is that it is capable of corroding agar plate culture; hence, the species name is corroden [4]. Eikenella corrodens exists in dental plaque of both healthy people and periodontitis patients and can cause infections. Other clinical sources include head and neck infections and respiratory tract infections. Furthermore, it is responsible for about one quarter of all human hand bites infections and clenched-fist injuries [12].
Genome structure
Eikenella corrodens has a genome with a length of 8696 nt and has a 55% coding. It has circular DNA chromosome and no RNA. Plasmids have been identified in this bacterium and were labeled pMU1. Plastmid pMU1 has been widely used in various researches such as colony morphology and pilus formation. Eikenella corrodens chromosome sequence was completed on June 6, 2005 at the Hiroyuki Azakami, Yamaguchi University, Department of Biological Chemistry, Japan [12]. Although the sequence has been completed, the amount of base pairs and/ or the number of chromosomes are still unknown.
Cell structure and metabolism
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Ecology
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Pathology
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Application to Biotechnology
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Current Research
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References
Edited by student of Rachel Larsen
