Campylobacter coli

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A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Campylobacter coli

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Epsilonproteobacteria; Campylobacterales; Campylobacteraceae; Campylobacter

Species

Campylobacter coli

NCBI: Taxonomy

Description and significance

Campylobacter coli (C. coli) is one of the many specie found in class epsilonproteobacteria. It is a gram-negative S-shaped curved, somewhat rod-shaped cell, about 0.2-0.5 micrometers long, contains a single polar flagellum at one end, and usually lives in the intestinal tract of animal.[1] The bacteria colonizes the intestinal epithelium to a point that it breaks out from the epithelial layer and spread into the bloodstream.[2] C. coli is very similar to its bacteria relative, campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), in which both causes inflammation of the intestine and causes diarrhea in infected animals and human. Most human infections, about 85% to 95%, involve C. jejuni, while C. coli is responsible for the majority of the remainder.[1] There has been many studies and research for finding treaments to this disease, one of which is the use of antimicrobial chemotherapy for patients with severe infection. Erythromycin, fluoroquinolones, and tetracycline were found to be the best antimicrobial drugs.[4]C.coli are usually isolated from pigs, birds and surface water either by classical or molecular methods, including 16S rDNA shotgun sequencing and polymerase chain reactions to differentiate between C.coli and C.jejuni.[3]

Genome structure

C. coli is found to have a cicular DNA, it consists of 1,860,666 nucleotides long and contains 2033 genes, in which 1967 of those are protein coding. It also contains 58 different structures of RNAs.[2] Plasmids isolated from C. coli were found to be cryptic and contained multiple, novel incompatibility groups. Three small, cryptic plasmids from C. Coli strands code name pCC2228-1, pCC2228-2, pCC2228-3 were sequence. ). The other two ICPs, , represent a second novel Inc group. pCC2228-1 replicate by a rolling-circle mechanism and pCC2228-2 is a theta-replicating, iteron-containing plasmid (ICP). C. coli vectors are small in size, it doesn't have many common multiple-cloning site restriction sites, and incompatibility groups are not present.[5]

Cell structure and metabolism

C. coli are Gram-negative, S-shaped bacteria which are characterized as being difficult to study, microaerophilic, and require high levels of carbon dioxide for growth. C. coli is very versatile and has a complete citric acid cycle, including a complex respiratory chain which allows both aerobic and anaerobic respiration. These characteristics allow it to live and survive in a number of other environments in addition to the intestine. Anaerobic respiration is very important for growth in the intestinal tract.

Since C. coli is microaerophilic, it would have to be in an environment that contains 5-15% oxygen and 5-15% carbon dioxide. They requires a complex media to be cultured in and always need extra growth minerals.

Ecology, Pathology, and Application to Biotechnology

How does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

Current Research

Enter summaries of the most recent research here--at least three required

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Edited by student of Rachel Larsen