Discovery of a new species within Bacillus genus in a stool sample from Gabon: “Bacillus massiliogabonensis” sp. nov.

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Isolation of new species “Peptoniphilus phoceensis” from human gut

International audienceTaxonogenomics coupled with culturomics leads to descriptions of new bacteria. Thanks to this strategy, we report the main characteristics of "Peptoniphilus phoceensis" strain SIT15, a new bacterium isolated from a stool sample of a 1-year-old healthy Senegalese boy

“Intestinimonas gabonensis” sp. nov., a new bacterium detected from a Gabonese stool specimen

Detection of new bacteria becomes a major part of culturomics studies coupled with taxonogenomics. Using these strategies, we report here the main characteristics of a new species, “Intestinimonas gabonensis” strain GM5. It is a bacterium isolated from a stool specimen from a 27-year-old man from Gabon

High prevalence of Mansonella perstans filariasis in rural Senegal

Large parts of African and American countries are colonized by Mansonella, a very common but poorly described filarial nematode. Bloodsucking flies of the genus Culicoides are suspected to be the vector of Mansonella perstans, but no study in Senegal has confirmed that Culicoides can transmit the parasite. Designed specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) can be used to identify microfilaria in stained blood smears. This study was performed in July and December 2010 in the southeastern Senegal, which is known to be endemic for M. perstans. We analyzed 297 blood smears from febrile and afebrile resident people by qPCR. The global prevalence of M. perstans was approximately 14.5% in both febrile and afebrile individuals. The age group of > 30 years had the highest prevalence (22.0%). No Culicoides among 1,159 studied specimens was positive for M. perstans and its vector in Senegal still requires identification

Possible role of Rickettsia fells in acute febrile illness among children in Gabon

Rickettsia felis has been reported to be a cause of fever in sub-Saharan Africa, but this association has been poorly evaluated in Gabon. We assessed the prevalence of this bacterium among children <15 years of age in 4 areas of Gabon; the locations were in urban, semiurban, and rural areas. DNA samples from 410 febrile children and 60 afebrile children were analyzed by quantitative PCR. Overall, the prevalence of R. felis among febrile and afebrile children was 10.2% (42/410 children) and 3.3% (2/60 children), respectively. Prevalence differed among febrile children living in areas that are urban (Franceville, 1.3% [1/77]), semiurban (Koulamoutou, 2.1% [3/141]), and rural (Lastourville, 11.2% [15/134]; Fougamou, 39.7% [23/58]). Furthermore, in a rural area (Fougamou), R. felis was significantly more prevalent in febrile (39.7% [23/58]) than afebrile children (5.0% [1/20]). Additional studies are needed to better understand the pathogenic role of R. fells in this part of the world

Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Gabonia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov.

Culturomics coupled with taxonogenomics is currently used to isolate and characterize new bacteria. Here we describe the features and complete genome sequence of Gabonia massiliensis strain GM3, an anaerobic Gram negative, non-spore-forming and catalase-positive bacillus isolated from a stool specimen of a healthy Gabonese male youth. Belonging to a new genus called Gabonia, it exhibits a genome of 4 261 752 bp including 37.9% GC content and 3,288 predicted genes

Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Kallipyga gabonensis sp. nov.

Taxonogenomics coupled with culturomics promotes the isolation and characterization of bacteria. Kallipyga gabonensis sp. nov. strain GM4 is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive, and non motile coccus isolated from the stool of a Gabonese male teenager. The genome is 1,621,211 bp long with 50.01% G+C content and two scaffolds. Of the 1,536 predicted genes, 1,475 were protein-coding genes and 61 were RNA genes. A total of 931 genes were assigned a putative function, and 79 genes were identified as ORFans

Mansonella, including a potential new species, as common parasites in children in Gabon

Background Like other tropical African countries, Gabon is afflicted by many parasitic diseases, including filariases such as loiasis and mansonellosis. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these two filarial diseases in febrile and afebrile children using quantitative real-time PCR and standard PCR assays coupled with sequencing. Methodology/Principal Findings DNA from blood specimens of 1,418 Gabonese children (1,258 febrile and 160 afebrile) were analyzed. Overall, filarial DNA was detected in 95 (6.7%) children, including 67 positive for M. perstans (4.7%), which was the most common. M. perstans was detected in 61/1,258 febrile children (4.8%) and 6/160 afebrile children (3.8%, P = 0.6). Its prevalence increased statistically with age: 3.5%, 7.7% and 10.6% in children aged <= 5, 6-10 and 11-15 years, respectively. M. perstans prevalence was significantly higher in Koulamoutou and Lastourville (12% and 10.5%, respectively) than in Franceville and Fougamou (2.6% and 2.4%, respectively). Loa loa was detected in seven febrile children including one co-infection with M. perstans. Finally, 21 filarial DNA positive were negative for M. perstans and Loa loa, but ITS sequencing could be performed for 12 and allowed the identification of a potential new species of Mansonella provisionally called "DEUX". Mansonella sp. "DEUX" was detected only in febrile children. Conclusions/Significance Further study should be performed to characterize Mansonella sp. "DEUX" and evaluate the clinical significance of mansonellosis in humans