Corynebacterium renale: Difference between revisions

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==References==
==References==
1. Baron, Samuel, MD, ed. Medical Microbiology. 4th ed. Galveston: University of Texas Medical Branch, 1996.  NCBI. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mmed.section.284>
1. Baron, Samuel, MD, ed. Medical Microbiology. 4th ed. Galveston: University of Texas Medical Branch, 1996.  NCBI. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mmed.section.284>
2. Fischetti, Vincent A, Richard P. Novick, Joseph J. Ferretti, Daniel A. Portnoy, & Julian I Rood,  ed. Gram Positive Pathogens. 2nd ed. Washington D.C.: ASM Press, 2006.
3. Forbes, Betty A., Daniel Sahm and Alice S. Weissfeld. Bailey and Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology. 11th ed.  St. Louis: Mosby, 2002.
4. Henderson, Lyn C. “Influence of Iron on Corynebacterium renale-Induced Pyelonephritis in a Rat Experimental Model.” Infection and Immunity 21.2. (1978). PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. < http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=422029&blobtype=pdf>
5. Mahon, Connie R, Donald C. Lehman, & George Manuselis. Diagnostic Microbiology. 3rd ed. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2007.
6. Olson, Merle E. “Biofilm bacteria: formation and comparative susceptibility to antibiotics.” Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 66.2. (2002). PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=226988>
7. Reddy, Adinarayana. “Value of Acid Metabolic Products in Identification of Certain Corynebacteria.” Journal of Clinical Microbiology 7.5: 428-233 (1978). PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=275008&blobtype=pdf>.
8. Salkinoja-Salonen, M. S. “Toxigenic Strains of Bacillus licheniformis Related to Food Poisoning.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology 65.10. (1999): 4637–4645. PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=91618
9. Srivastava, P. “Characterization of Broad Host Range Cryptic Plasmid pCR1 from Cornyebacterium renale.” Plasmid 56.1: 24-34. (2006).  Pub Med. 23 Aug 2007. < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16545871&ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum>.
10. Takai, S. “pH-dependent Adhesion of Piliated Corynebacterium renale to Bovine Bladder Epithelial Cells.” Infection and Immunity 28.3: 669-674 (1980). PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. < http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=551002&blobtype=pdf>
11. Timoney, John F, James H. Gillespe, Frederic W. Scott and Jeffrey E. Barlough. Hagan and Bruner's Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals. Ithaca: Cornell University Publishing, 1988.
12. Winn Jr, Washington, Stephen Allen, William Janda, Elmer Koneman, Gary Procop, Paul Schreckenberger, and Gail Woods. Koneman’s Color Atlas & Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006.
13. Yanagawa, Ryo and Koichi Otsuki. “Some Properties of the Pili of Corynebacterium renale.” Journal of Bacteriology 101.3. (1970): 1063-1069. PubMed Central. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=250427&blobtype=pdf>


Edited by Luca Van Der Kraan a student of [mailto:ralarsen@ucsd.edu Rachel Larsen]
Edited by Luca Van Der Kraan a student of [mailto:ralarsen@ucsd.edu Rachel Larsen]

Revision as of 07:20, 29 August 2007

A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Corynebacterium renale

Phase Contrast of Corynebacterium

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Classification

Higher order taxa

Domain: Bacteria; Phylum: Actinobacteria; Class: Actinobacteria; Subclass: Actinobacteridae; Order: Actinomycetales; Suborder: Corynebacterineae; Family: Corynebacteriaceae; Genus: Corynebacterium [Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Corynebacterium renale

Description and significance

The Corynebacterium genus is comprised of sixty six species. This large group contains human and animal, as well as, plant pathogens, and lives in a variety of habitats. One important human pathogen in the genus is C. diphtheriae which causes a fatal upper respiratory tract infection.

C. renale is only one species of the genus not well known or studied. The C. renale group was formerly known as immunological types I, II, and III. Due to the lack of genetic and chemotaxonomic identification methods, distinguishing the different species from the group remained impossible. Rather phenotypic identification of the organisms was the norm. Only in the late 1970s, due to new methods such as genetic analyses (16S rRNA & rDNA sequencing, nucleic acid hybridization, etc), chemotaxonomic methods (detection of mycolic acids, peptidoglycan analyis, cellular fatty acid studies, menaquinone characterization, etc) and phenotypic techniques (identification systems, organic compound assimilation tests, etc) was the group distinguished as three different species. The organisms were then renamed C. renale (Type I), C. pilosum (Type II), and C. cystitidis (Type III).

C. renale is a rather large Gram positive bacilli (0.5 by 1.3 to 2.6 μm) that is shaped as a short stumpy rod, thicker at one end then the other. Not surprisingly its name when defined means “club bacterium” and thus, implies this microbe’s club-like shape. In Gram stained cultures these organisms tend to clump together and form “picket fence” and “Chinese letter” arrangements. However, these organisms can vary from a few individuals to hundreds in colonies such as biofilms. Yet, C. renale is opaque, ivory-colored, and dull. In addition, these organism are non-motile, non-spore bearing, and non-encapsulated. Through the use of their pili, they attach themselves to their favored environment in the bladder, ureters, kidney, pelvis, and kidney tissue in cows, and occasionally horses and sheep.

Genome structure

Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence? Does it have any plasmids? Are they important to the organism's lifestyle?

Cell structure and metabolism

C. renale is a Gram positive rod. Gram positive bacteria differ from gram negative bacteria in two ways. One by having a thicker and more cross-linked peptidoglycan cell wall and two, by lacking an outer membrane. In particular, the peptidoglycan of C. renale contains meso-diaminopimelic acid (m-DAP) as the constituent of amino acid. This species also contains mycolic acids, arabinose and galactose in their cell walls, as well as, distinctive cellular fatty acids and menaquiniones. In addition, there are proteins anchored to this organism’s cell wall in three ways: 1) by their C-terminal ends, 2) by way of charge or hydrophobic interactions, and 3) by their N-terminal region (lipoproteins). Thus, C. renale’s cell wall can be considered highly complex, because it is made up of proteins with specific binding functions and enzymatic activity that have the ability to generate energy.

Not only is C. renale’s cell structure complex, but also its metabolism. This organism uses facultative and fermentative metabolism to grow, or else it becomes inert. This means that this organism can make ATP by aerobic respiration when oxygen is present, but it is also capable of switching to fermentation when oxygen is not present. Most facultative anaerobes, such as C. renale, are thus pathogenic for animals. Because, this organism multiples in sterile bovine urine, it becomes strongly alkaline. This is because of C. renale contains the enzyme urease. In particular, urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. Organisms that tend to produce urease tend to be gastrointestinal or urinary tract pathogens, since urease enables them to neutralize the acid present in their acidic environments. In addition, C. renale can also perform catalase production. Catalase is a common enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is a harmful by-product of many normal metabolic processes and so to prevent damage it is converted into less dangerous compounds.

Ecology

Because C. renale is a facultative anaerobe, it is pathogenic to animals. Particularly in a lab experiment, strains of C. renale died rather quickly on media. Therefore, it is safe to say that resistance to physical and chemical factors in natural environments is slight. Rather, this organism is highly adapted to the bovine and ovine urinary tract. Moreover, Yanagawa’s study showed that C. renale’s pili are used to adhere to the vulvar epithelium of cows, sheep and horses. Penetration and colonization of the urinary tract is aided by C. renale’s ability to stick to aging epithelial cells of the bladder. However, other predisposing factors such as pregnancy or parturition are required for the disease to occur.

Pathology

C. renale is the most frequently isolated member in cases of pyelonephritis. In general terms, pyelonephritis is an ascending urinary tract infection that has reached the kidneys. C. renale predominantly affects female animals, such as cows, sheep and horses, producing a diphtheritic inflammation of the bladder, ureters, kidney, pelvis, and frequently the kidney tissue. This species is highly adapted to the bovine and ovine urinary tract through its complex structure and metabolism. Particularly, its pili are used to stick adhesively to the vulvar epithelial cells of the animal’s bladder. In addition, the pili contain an antigenic protein which causes the inflammation of the bladder tissue.

Transmission between animals occurs when contaminated droplets of urine are splashed on the vulvar area of a susceptible animal from an infected carrier. However, research has also shown that C. renale was found in healthy animals of diseased herds without affecting them.

Yet, cows with pyelonephritis and urethritis have a serum antibody response to these bacteria. Organisms with urinary sediments from animals with upper urinary tract involvement were coated with the antibody IgG. This antibody is probably derived from the plasma that accompanies the inflammatory tissue exudates. The host’s protective response, however, is infective and untreated animals seldom recover. Yet, C. renale is sensitive to penicillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, erythromycin, and polymycin B. Therefore, penicillin in large doses is the antibiotic of choice in therapy and is often effective if administered before lesions have become far advanced.

Current Research

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

References

1. Baron, Samuel, MD, ed. Medical Microbiology. 4th ed. Galveston: University of Texas Medical Branch, 1996. NCBI. 23 Aug 2007. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mmed.section.284>

Edited by Luca Van Der Kraan a student of Rachel Larsen