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Name Christoffer Vinther Soerensen Bench ID E Date 31/8 [1]


Organism: Veillonella parvula


Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Firmicutes; Clostridia; Clostridiales; Veillonellaceae; Veillonella

Species

Species name and type strain (consult LPSN http://www.bacterio.net/index.html for this information)

Veillonella parvula

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 [3], [2]

The genus Veillonella was first described back in 1898 by Veillon and Zuber, and the name Veillonella was proposed in 1933 by Prevot. [1](http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/14/1/361.full.pdf+html) Veillonella are small, nonfermentative, strictly anaerobic, gram-negative cocci. They are a natural part of the flora found in the oral, genitourinary, respiratory, and intestinal tracts of humans and animals. In the oral region it has been isolated from most surfaces of the oral cavity, but are found in highest numbers in dental plaque. The genus cannot metabolize carbohydrates because they lack glucokinase and fructokinase. Instead it is able to utilize short-chain organic acids, especially lactate as energy sources.

Important to study the organism?

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.

Veillonella is often found in dual-species dental biofilm, the other species often being streptococci. When streptococci is growing on sugars it produces lactate, which Veillonella then can utilize. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0722.2006.00262.x/full) V. Parvula can actually be involved in reducing the amount of caries you get from having S. Mutans in dental plaque. This is because V. Parvula can reduce the lactid acid produced by S. Mutans to weaker acids, and thereby reduce the damage made to the enamel by lactic acid.

Ecology

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

Veillonella have quite important functions regarding the ecology of dental plaque since they are able to reduce lactic acid to weaker acids. Lactic acid is involved in breaking down the enamel, and is the strongest acid produced in quantity by oral bacteria. (file:///C:/Users/Christoffer/Downloads/m5zn_777cba05b27aae3.pdf)

Pathology

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

Of the genus Veillonella, V. Parvula is the only species involved in oral diseases such as gingivitis. This species has also been isolated from cases with endocarditis, meningitis, discitis, but this is very rare cases though. Most often it is involved in multispecies infections. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3035260/)

http://jcm.asm.org/content/45/2/672.full

Veillonella

Application to biotechnology

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

Current research

Summarise some of the most recent discoveries regarding this species.

References

References examples

1. Singh, Nina, and L. Yu Victor. "Osteomyelitis due to Veillonella parvula: case report and review." Clinical infectious diseases 14.1 (1992): 361-363.


  1. MICR3004

This page is written by Christoffer Vinther Soerensen for the MICR3004 course, Semester 2, 2016