Helicobacter ibis sp. nov., isolated from faecal droppings of black-faced ibis (Theristicus melanopis)

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2023 Nov;73(11). doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005983.

Abstract

As part of a larger study on Epsilonproteobacteria carried by wild birds in the city of Valdivia (southern Chile), two curved rod-shaped Gram-stain-negative strains (A82T and WB-40) were recovered from faecal samples and subjected to a taxonomic study. Results of a genus-specific PCR showed that these isolates belonged to the genus Helicobacter. Further identification by 16S rRNA and hsp60 (60 kDa heat-shock protein) gene sequence analysis revealed that they formed a separate phylogenetic clade, different from other known Helicobacter species with 'Helicobacter burdigaliensis' CNRCH 2005/566HT and Helicobacter valdiviensis WBE14T being the most closely related species. This was confirmed by core-genome phylogeny as well as digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity analyses between the genomes of strains A82T and WB-40 and all other Helicobacter species. The draft genome sequences of A82T and WB-40, obtained by Illumina NextSeq 2000 sequencing, consisted of 1.6 Mb with a G+C content of 31.9-32.0 mol%. The results obtained from the phylogenetic and genomic characterization, together with their different morphological and biochemical features, revealed that these two strains represent a novel species, for which we propose the name Helicobacter ibis sp. nov. with A82T (=LMG 32718T=CCCT 22.04T) as the type strain.

Keywords: Chile; Helicobacter; faeces; wild bird.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Base Composition
  • Birds
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Fatty Acids* / chemistry
  • Helicobacter* / genetics
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Fatty Acids