The dynamic history of prokaryotic phyla: discovery, diversity and division.

Here, I review the dynamic history of prokaryotic phyla. Following leads set by Darwin, Haeckel and Woese, the concept of phylum has evolved from a group sharing common phenotypes to a set of organisms sharing a common ancestry, with modern taxonomy based on phylogenetic classifications drawn from macromolecular sequences. Phyla came as surprising latecomers to the formalities of prokaryotic nomenclature in 2021. Since then names have been validly published for 46 prokaryotic phyla, replacing some established names with neologisms, prompting criticism and debate within the scientific community. Molecular barcoding enabled phylogenetic analysis of microbial ecosystems without cultivation, leading to the identification of candidate divisions (or phyla) from diverse environments. The introduction of metagenome-assembled genomes marked a significant advance in identifying and classifying uncultured microbial phyla. The lumper-splitter dichotomy has led to disagreements, with experts cautioning against the pressure to create a profusion of new phyla and prominent databases adopting a conservative stance. The Candidatus designation has been widely used to provide provisional status to uncultured prokaryotic taxa, with phyla named under this convention now clearly surpassing those with validly published names. The Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) has offered a stable, standardized prokaryotic taxonomy with normalized taxonomic ranks, which has led to both lumping and splitting of pre-existing phyla. The GTDB framework introduced unwieldy alphanumeric placeholder labels, prompting recent publication of over 100 user-friendly Latinate names for unnamed prokaryotic phyla. Most candidate phyla remain 'known unknowns', with limited knowledge of their genomic diversity, ecological roles, or environments. Whether phyla still reflect significant evolutionary and ecological partitions across prokaryotic life remains an area of active debate. However, phyla remain of practical importance for microbiome analyses, particularly in clinical research. Despite potential diminishing returns in discovery of biodiversity, prokaryotic phyla offer extensive research opportunities for microbiologists for the foreseeable future.

Formation of prokaryote names from personal names: a review of current practice and a proposal to emend Appendix 9 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

The practice of naming elements from the natural world after notable individuals stretches back to ancient times. This practice of creating eponyms-terms derived from personal names-has been carried forward into prokaryotic nomenclature, where the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) sets guidelines for creating scientific names from personal names. However, these guidelines can be seen as culturally biased, disjointed and, on occasion, misguided. Here, with the goal of modernizing these recommendations to render them more user-friendly, coherent and inclusive, I review current practice in the light of precedents and key linguistic and cultural principles, while questioning the applicability of the first-name/last-name paradigm for many cultural traditions. Procedural challenges include romanization of the personal name (including handling of diacritics), creation of a short and agreeable latinized stem, assignment of the stem to a declension and addition of suffixes or compound word components to create genus names or species epithets, customizing the approach for names and stems that end in a vowel. I review the pros and cons of stem augmentation, which involves addition of an extra 'i' to the original stem. Next, I formulate a coherent workflow, which I incorporate into a Python script to enable computer-based automation of name creation. Rather than following the ICNP in limiting discussion to a few dozen mainly European names, I examine how these principles work out when applied to the tens of thousands of last names under which scientists publish in the PubMed database, focusing on edge cases where conventional approaches fail, particularly very short and very long names. Drawing on these explorations and analyses, I propose emendations to the advice currently presented in the ICNP to usher in a modern, consistent, pragmatic and globally inclusive approach to the creation of prokaryotic eponyms.

Valid publication of names for bacterial species from the chicken gut.

This article is a follow-up to Gilroy R, Ravi A, Getino M, Pursley I, Horton DL, et al. PeerJ 2021;9:e10941, detailing accession numbers from culture collections to ensure that names for 33 new species conform to the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes required for valid publication of names for cultured species. The following species names are now proposed to be recognized as validly published: Acinetobacter pecorum sp. nov., Arthrobacter gallicola sp. nov., Arthrobacter pullicola sp. nov., Bacillus norwichensis sp. nov., Brevibacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Brevundimonas guildfordensis sp. nov., Cellulomonas avistercoris sp. nov., Clostridium gallinarum sp. nov., Comamonas avium sp. nov., Corynebacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Cytobacillus stercorigallinarum sp. nov., Escherichia whittamii sp. nov., Kaistella pullorum sp. nov., Luteimonas colneyensis sp. nov., Microbacterium commune sp. nov., Microbacterium gallinarum sp. nov., Microbacterium pullorum sp. nov., Oceanitalea stevensii sp. nov., Ochrobactrum gallinarum sp. nov., Oerskovia douganii sp. nov., Oerskovia gallyi sp. nov., Oerskovia merdavium sp. nov., Oerskovia rustica sp. nov., Paenibacillus gallinarum sp. nov., Phocaeicola gallinarum sp. nov., Planococcus wigleyi sp. nov., Psychrobacter communis sp. nov., Serpens gallinarum sp. nov., Solibacillus faecavium sp. nov., Sporosarcina gallistercoris sp. nov., Sporosarcina quadrami sp. nov., Stenotrophomonas pennii sp. nov. and Ureibacillus galli sp. nov.

Proposal to add a Note to Rule 8 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes to clarify the meaning of the term 'stem'.

According to the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) and its appendices, names of higher taxa are formed by the addition of the appropriate suffix to the stem of the name of the type genus, and word stems derived from Latin and/or Greek are combined to compound names by means of an appropriate connecting vowel. The way the word 'stem' is used in the ICNP differs from the meaning of this term in textbooks of Latin and Greek grammar. We therefore propose to add a Note to Rule 8, clarifying that the term 'stem' when used in the ICNP corresponds with that part of the word that does not vary among the forms of the noun in the oblique cases, i.e., cases other than the nominative, and which can be obtained by deleting the ending of the genitive singular.

Request for an Opinion on the standing and retention of Firmicutes as a phylum name.

Oren and Garrity recently published 42 new prokaryotic phylum names, including Bacillota, which they describe as a synonym of the effectively published name Firmacutes and its orthographic correction Firmicutes. However, the name Firmacutes was listed as a division in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, which suggests that it should be treated as having been validly published. Recent emendations to rules require that a named phylum now requires a named type genus and a phylum name is formed by the addition of the suffix -ota to the stem of the name of the designated type genus. However, there are strong practical arguments for retaining the name Firmicutes, notwithstanding the uncertainty over whether the name already has standing. This matter is referred to the Judicial Commission, asking for an opinion on the standing and retention of the name Firmicutes.

Use of connecting vowels after stems ending in the same vowel: a proposal to emend Appendix 9 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) provides guidance on the formation of names from compound words. This includes recommendations on the use of connecting vowels, which are meant to make names easier to pronounce. However, deployment of a connecting vowel when the preceding word element ends in the same vowel can make a name harder to spell or say, bringing us into conflict with the recommendations that we should avoid names that are disagreeable and difficult to pronounce. Given that there are many precedents where connecting vowels are not used in this context, particularly in names formed from the term 'alkali', I hereby propose an emendation to the ICNP to drop the connecting vowel when the preceding word element ends in the same vowel.

Naming the unnamed: over 65,000 Candidatus names for unnamed Archaea and Bacteria in the Genome Taxonomy Database.

Thousands of new bacterial and archaeal species and higher-level taxa are discovered each year through the analysis of genomes and metagenomes. The Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) provides hierarchical sequence-based descriptions and classifications for new and as-yet-unnamed taxa. However, bacterial nomenclature, as currently configured, cannot keep up with the need for new well-formed names. Instead, microbiologists have been forced to use hard-to-remember alphanumeric placeholder labels. Here, we exploit an approach to the generation of well-formed arbitrary Latinate names at a scale sufficient to name tens of thousands of unnamed taxa within GTDB. These newly created names represent an important resource for the microbiology community, facilitating communication between bioinformaticians, microbiologists and taxonomists, while populating the emerging landscape of microbial taxonomic and functional discovery with accessible and memorable linguistic labels.

The status Candidatus for uncultured taxa of Bacteria and Archaea: SWOT analysis.

The status Candidatus was introduced to bacterial taxonomy in the 1990s to accommodate uncultured taxa defined by analyses of DNA sequences. Here I review the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) associated with the status Candidatus in the light of a quarter century of use, twinned with recent developments in bacterial taxonomy and sequence-based taxonomic discovery. Despite ambiguities as to its scope, philosophical objections to its use and practical problems in implementation, the status Candidatus has now been applied to over 1000 taxa and has been widely adopted by journals and databases. Although lacking priority under the International Code for Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, many Candidatus names have already achieved de facto standing in the academic literature and in databases via description of a taxon in a peer-reviewed publication, alongside deposition of a genome sequence and there is a clear path to valid publication of such names on culture. Continued and increased use of Candidatus names provides an alternative to the potential upheaval that might accompany creation of a new additional code of nomenclature and provides a ready solution to the urgent challenge of naming many thousands of newly discovered but uncultured species.

Organization and architecture of AggR-dependent promoters from enteroaggregative Escherichia coli.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), is a diarrhoeagenic human pathogen commonly isolated from patients in both developing and industrialized countries. Pathogenic EAEC strains possess many virulence determinants, which are thought to be involved in causing disease, though, the exact mechanism by which EAEC causes diarrhoea is unclear. Typical EAEC strains possess the transcriptional regulator, AggR, which controls the expression of many virulence determinants, including the attachment adherence fimbriae (AAF) that are necessary for adherence to human gut epithelial cells. Here, using RNA-sequencing, we have investigated the AggR regulon from EAEC strain 042 and show that AggR regulates the transcription of genes on both the bacterial chromosome and the large virulence plasmid, pAA2. Due to the importance of fimbriae, we focused on the two AAF/II fimbrial gene clusters in EAEC 042 (afaB-aafCB and aafDA) and identified the promoter elements and AggR-binding sites required for fimbrial expression. In addition, we examined the organization of the fimbrial operon promoters from other important EAEC strains to understand the rules of AggR-dependent activation. Finally, we generated a series of semi-synthetic promoters to define the minimal sequence required for AggR-mediated activation and show that the correct positioning of a single AggR-binding site is sufficient to confer AggR-dependence.

Creation of Golden Gate constructs for gene doctoring.

BACKGROUND: Gene doctoring is an efficient recombination-based genetic engineering approach to mutagenesis of the bacterial chromosome that combines the λ-Red recombination system with a suicide donor plasmid that is cleaved in vivo to generate linear DNA fragments suitable for recombination. The use of a suicide donor plasmid makes Gene Doctoring more efficient than other recombineering technologies. However, generation of donor plasmids typically requires multiple cloning and screening steps. RESULTS: We constructed a simplified acceptor plasmid, called pDOC-GG, for the assembly of multiple DNA fragments precisely and simultaneously to form a donor plasmid using Golden Gate assembly. Successful constructs can easily be identified through blue-white screening. We demonstrated proof of principle by inserting a gene for green fluorescent protein into the chromosome of Escherichia coli. We also provided related genetic parts to assist in the construction of mutagenesis cassettes with a tetracycline-selectable marker. CONCLUSIONS: Our plasmid greatly simplifies the construction of Gene Doctoring donor plasmids and allows for the assembly of complex, multi-part insertion or deletion cassettes with a free choice of target sites and selection markers. The tools we developed are applicable to gene editing for a wide variety of purposes in Enterobacteriaceae and potentially in other diverse bacterial families.

The Gut Microbiota and the Hepatologist: Will Our Bugs Prove to be the Missing Link?

The advent of next-generation sequencing has enabled in-depth analysis to study the composition and function of the gut microbiota in a culture-independent manner. Consequently, this has led to rapid interest in understanding the pathogenesis and progression of chronic liver disease in relation to perturbations of the gut microbiota. Animal models and human studies have demonstrated its crucial role in contributing to disease mechanisms in alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease and more recently in primary sclerosing cholangitis. There is increasing evidence to suggest that the gut microbiota and its components influence the development and modulation of chronic liver damage through direct communication via the portal system, metabolite production, alterations in gut barrier integrity, liver/gut immune axis and bile acid metabolism. The impact of microbiota-directed therapies for liver disease is still in its infancy. Better understanding of its role in disease mechanisms will lead to a more targeted approach in modulation of gut microbiota to influence both progression and complications of liver disease. This review discusses the current evidence for the gut microbiota-liver axis and its role in the development, progression and treatment of liver disease.

The emerging threat of pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in West Africa: preparing for large-scale tuberculosis research and drug resistance surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem. Adequate management requires baseline drug-resistance prevalence data. In West Africa, due to a poor laboratory infrastructure and inadequate capacity, such data are scarce. Therefore, the true extent of drug-resistant TB was hitherto undetermined. In 2008, a new research network, the West African Network of Excellence for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM), was founded, comprising nine study sites from eight West African countries (Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo). The goal was to establish Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) principles and build capacity in standardised smear microscopy and mycobacterial culture across partnering laboratories to generate the first comprehensive West African drug-resistance data. METHODS: Following GCLP and laboratory training sessions, TB isolates were collected at sentinel referral sites between 2009-2013 and tested for first- and second-line drug resistance. RESULTS: From the analysis of 974 isolates, an unexpectedly high prevalence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) strains was found in new (6 %) and retreatment patients (35 %) across all sentinel sites, with the highest prevalence amongst retreatment patients in Bamako, Mali (59 %) and the two Nigerian sites in Ibadan and Lagos (39 % and 66 %). In Lagos, MDR is already spreading actively amongst 32 % of new patients. Pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) isolates are present in all sites, with Ghana showing the highest proportion (35 % of MDR). In Ghana and Togo, pre-XDR isolates are circulating amongst new patients. CONCLUSIONS: West African drug-resistance prevalence poses a previously underestimated, yet serious public health threat, and our estimates obtained differ significantly from previous World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates. Therefore, our data are reshaping current concepts and are essential in informing WHO and public health strategists to implement urgently needed surveillance and control interventions in West Africa.

Role of Clinicogenomics in Infectious Disease Diagnostics and Public Health Microbiology.

Clinicogenomics is the exploitation of genome sequence data for diagnostic, therapeutic, and public health purposes. Central to this field is the high-throughput DNA sequencing of genomes and metagenomes. The role of clinicogenomics in infectious disease diagnostics and public health microbiology was the topic of discussion during a recent symposium (session 161) presented at the 115th general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology that was held in New Orleans, LA. What follows is a collection of the most salient and promising aspects from each presentation at the symposium.

Complete genome sequence of Pig-tailed macaque rhadinovirus 2 and its evolutionary relationship with rhesus macaque rhadinovirus and human herpesvirus 8/Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.

UNLABELLED: Two rhadinovirus lineages have been identified in Old World primates. The rhadinovirus 1 (RV1) lineage consists of human herpesvirus 8, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and closely related rhadinoviruses of chimpanzees, gorillas, macaques and other Old World primates. The RV2 rhadinovirus lineage is distinct and consists of closely related viruses from the same Old World primate species. Rhesus macaque rhadinovirus (RRV) is the RV2 prototype, and two RRV isolates, 26-95 and 17577, were sequenced. We determined that the pig-tailed macaque RV2 rhadinovirus, MneRV2, is highly associated with lymphomas in macaques with simian AIDS. To further study the role of rhadinoviruses in the development of lymphoma, we sequenced the complete genome of MneRV2 and identified 87 protein coding genes and 17 candidate microRNAs (miRNAs). A strong genome colinearity and sequence homology were observed between MneRV2 and RRV26-95, although the open reading frame (ORF) encoding the KSHV ORFK15 homolog was disrupted in RRV26-95. Comparison with MneRV2 revealed several genomic anomalies in RRV17577 that were not present in other rhadinovirus genomes, including an N-terminal duplication in ORF4 and a recombinative exchange of more distantly related homologs of the ORF22/ORF47 interacting glycoprotein genes. The comparison with MneRV2 has revealed novel genes and important conservation of protein coding domains and transcription initiation, termination, and splicing signals, which have added to our knowledge of RV2 rhadinovirus genetics. Further comparisons with KSHV and other RV1 rhadinoviruses will provide important avenues for dissecting the biology, evolution, and pathology of these closely related tumor-inducing viruses in humans and other Old World primates. IMPORTANCE: This work provides the sequence characterization of MneRV2, the pig-tailed macaque homolog of rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV). MneRV2 and RRV belong to the rhadinovirus 2 (RV2) rhadinovirus lineage of Old World primates and are distinct but related to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma. Pig-tailed macaques provide important models of human disease, and our previous studies have indicated that MneRV2 plays a causal role in AIDS-related lymphomas in macaques. Delineation of the MneRV2 sequence has allowed a detailed characterization of the genome structure, and evolutionary comparisons with RRV and KSHV have identified conserved promoters, splice junctions, and novel genes. This comparison provides insight into RV2 rhadinovirus biology and sets the groundwork for more intensive next-generation (Next-Gen) transcript and genetic analysis of this class of tumor-inducing herpesvirus. This study supports the use of MneRV2 in pig-tailed macaques as an important model for studying rhadinovirus biology, transmission and pathology.

Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus from Humans to Green Monkeys in The Gambia as Revealed by Whole-Genome Sequencing.

UNLABELLED: Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen of humans and animals. We genome sequenced 90 S. aureus isolates from The Gambia: 46 isolates from invasive disease in humans, 13 human carriage isolates, and 31 monkey carriage isolates. We inferred multiple anthroponotic transmissions of S. aureus from humans to green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in The Gambia over different time scales. We report a novel monkey-associated clade of S. aureus that emerged from a human-to-monkey switch estimated to have occurred 2,700 years ago. Adaptation of this lineage to the monkey host is accompanied by the loss of phage-carrying genes that are known to play an important role in human colonization. We also report recent anthroponotic transmission of the well-characterized human lineages sequence type 6 (ST6) and ST15 to monkeys, probably because of steadily increasing encroachment of humans into the monkeys' habitat. Although we have found no evidence of transmission of S. aureus from monkeys to humans, as the two species come into ever-closer contact, there might be an increased risk of additional interspecies exchanges of potential pathogens. IMPORTANCE: The population structures of Staphylococcus aureus in humans and monkeys in sub-Saharan Africa have been previously described using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). However, these data lack the power to accurately infer details regarding the origin and maintenance of new adaptive lineages. Here, we describe the use of whole-genome sequencing to detect transmission of S. aureus between humans and nonhuman primates and to document the genetic changes accompanying host adaptation. We note that human-to-monkey switches tend to be more common than the reverse and that a novel monkey-associated clade is likely to have emerged from such a switch approximately 2,700 years ago. Moreover, analysis of the accessory genome provides important clues as to the genetic changes underpinning host adaptation and, in particular, shows that human-to-monkey switches tend to be associated with the loss of genes known to confer adaptation to the human host.

An outbreak of pneumococcal meningitis among older children (≥5 years) and adults after the implementation of an infant vaccination programme with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of pneumococcal meningitis among non-infant children and adults occurred in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana between December 2015 and April 2016 despite the recent nationwide implementation of a vaccination programme for infants with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected from patients with suspected meningitis in the Brong-Ahafo region. CSF specimens were subjected to Gram staining, culture and rapid antigen testing. Quantitative PCR was performed to identify pneumococcus, meningococcus and Haemophilus influenzae. Latex agglutination and molecular serotyping were performed on samples. Antibiogram and whole genome sequencing were performed on pneumococcal isolates. RESULTS: Eight hundred eighty six patients were reported with suspected meningitis in the Brong-Ahafo region during the period of the outbreak. In the epicenter district, the prevalence was as high as 363 suspected cases per 100,000 people. Over 95 % of suspected cases occurred in non-infant children and adults, with a median age of 20 years. Bacterial meningitis was confirmed in just under a quarter of CSF specimens tested. Pneumococcus, meningococcus and Group B Streptococcus accounted for 77 %, 22 % and 1 % of confirmed cases respectively. The vast majority of serotyped pneumococci (80 %) belonged to serotype 1. Most of the pneumococcal isolates tested were susceptible to a broad range of antibiotics, with the exception of two pneumococcal serotype 1 strains that were resistant to both penicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. All sequenced pneumococcal serotype 1 strains belong to Sequence Type (ST) 303 in the hypervirulent ST217 clonal complex. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of a pneumococcal serotype 1 meningitis outbreak three years after the introduction of PCV13 is alarming and calls for strengthening of meningitis surveillance and a re-evaluation of the current vaccination programme in high risk countries.

Parallel evolutionary pathways to antibiotic resistance selected by biocide exposure.

OBJECTIVES: Biocides are widely used to prevent infection. We aimed to determine whether exposure of Salmonella to various biocides could act as a driver of antibiotic resistance. METHODS: Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was exposed to four biocides with differing modes of action. Antibiotic-resistant mutants were selected during exposure to all biocides and characterized phenotypically and genotypically to identify mechanisms of resistance. RESULTS: All biocides tested selected MDR mutants with decreased antibiotic susceptibility; these occurred randomly throughout the experiments. Mutations that resulted in de-repression of the multidrug efflux pump AcrAB-TolC were seen in MDR mutants. A novel mutation in rpoA was also selected and contributed to the MDR phenotype. Other mutants were highly resistant to both quinolone antibiotics and the biocide triclosan. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that exposure of bacteria to biocides can select for antibiotic-resistant mutants and this is mediated by clinically relevant mechanisms of resistance prevalent in human pathogens.

Open-source genomic analysis of Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O104:H4.

An outbreak caused by Shiga-toxin­producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 occurred in Germany in May and June of 2011, with more than 3000 persons infected. Here, we report a cluster of cases associated with a single family and describe an open-source genomic analysis of an isolate from one member of the family. This analysis involved the use of rapid, bench-top DNA sequencing technology, open-source data release, and prompt crowd-sourced analyses. In less than a week, these studies revealed that the outbreak strain belonged to an enteroaggregative E. coli lineage that had acquired genes for Shiga toxin 2 and for antibiotic resistance.