''Arcanobacterium'' () is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

. They are

gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. The Gram stain is ...

, non– acid fast, non

motile Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently using metabolic energy. This biological concept encompasses movement at various levels, from whole organisms to cells and subcellular components. Motility is observed in animals, mi ...

facultatively anaerobic A facultative anaerobic organism is an organism that makes ATP by aerobic respiration if oxygen is present, but is capable of switching to fermentation if oxygen is absent. Some examples of facultatively anaerobic bacteria are ''Staphylococcus' ...

, and non–

endospore An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Bacillota. The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (''endo'' means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., not ...

forming. They are widely distributed in

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

in the

microbiota Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found ...

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

s (including the

human microbiota Human microbiota are microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea) found in a specific environment. They can be found in the stomach, intestines, skin, genitals and other parts of the body. Various body parts have diverse microorganisms. S ...

) and are mostly innocuous. Some can cause disease in humans and other animals (for example, ''Arcanobacterium haemolyticum'' infections). As with various species of a microbiota (including their cousins in the genera ''

Corynebacterium ''Corynebacterium'' () is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club-shaped, which inspired the genus name ('' coryneform'' means "club-s ...

'' and ''Trueperella''), they usually are not

pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a Germ theory of d ...

ic but can occasionally opportunistically capitalize on atypical access to tissues (via

wound A wound is any disruption of or damage to living tissue, such as skin, mucous membranes, or organs. Wounds can either be the sudden result of direct trauma (mechanical, thermal, chemical), or can develop slowly over time due to underlying diseas ...

s) or weakened host defenses.

Taxonomy

As explained by Yassin ''et al''., the genus ''Arcanobacterium'' was first described by Collins ''et al''. in 1982 to accommodate bacterial strains previously assigned to the genus ''

'' variously (and controversially) as ''C. pyogenes hominis'' and then ''C. haemolyticum'', thenceforth to be known as ''

Arcanobacterium haemolyticum ''Arcanobacterium haemolyticum'' is a species of bacteria classified as a gram-positive bacteria, gram-positive bacillus. It is catalase-negative, facultative Anaerobic organism, anaerobic, beta-hemolytic, and not motility, motile. It has been kn ...

''. The name (from '' arcanus'' + ''bacterium'') means "secretive bacterium" or "enigmatic/mysterious bacterium". In 2011, Yassin ''et al''., on the basis of

16S rRNA 16S ribosomal RNA (or 16Svedberg, S rRNA) is the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome (SSU rRNA). It binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and provides most of the SSU structure. The genes coding for it are referred to as ...

signature

nucleotide Nucleotides are Organic compound, organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both o ...

comparisons,

menaquinone Vitamin K2 or menaquinone (MK) () is one of three types of vitamin K, the other two being vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and K3 (menadione). K2 is both a tissue and bacterial product (derived from vitamin K1 in both cases) and is usually found in an ...

and

phospholipid Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...

compositions, and Christie–Atkins–Munch-Petersen (CAMP) tests, proposed that four species—''A. haemolyticum'', ''A. hippocoleae'', ''A. phocae'', and ''A. pluranimalium''—should continue to be affiliated with the genus ''Arcanobacterium'', whereas the species ''A. abortisuis'', ''A. bernardiae'', ''A. bialowiezense'', ''A. bonasi'', and ''A. pyogenes'' should be reclassified as members of a new genus, ''

Trueperella ''Trueperella'' is a genus of bacteria in the phylum Actinomycetota The Actinomycetota (or Actinobacteria) are a diverse phylum of Gram-positive bacteria with high GC content. They can be terrestrial or aquatic. They are of great importance ...

'', as ''Trueperella abortisuis'' comb. nov., ''Trueperella bernardiae'' comb. nov., ''Trueperella bialowiezensis'' comb. nov., ''Trueperella bonasi'' comb. nov., and ''Trueperella pyogenes'' comb. nov. Therefore, they provided an emended description of the genus ''Arcanobacterium''. In 2001, Lawson ''et al''. reported that ''A. pluranimalium'' sp. nov. had been isolated from a

harbour porpoise The harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena'') is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar ...

and a

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. In 2002, Hoyles ''et al''. reported that ''A. hippocoleae'' sp. nov. had been isolated from a

vaginal discharge Vaginal discharge is a mixture of liquid, cells, and bacteria that lubricate and protect the vagina. This mixture is constantly produced by the cells of the vagina and cervix, and it exits the body through the vaginal opening. The composition, ...

of a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

. In 2012, Hijazin ''et al''. reported that ''A. canis'' sp. nov. had been isolated from

otitis externa Otitis externa, also called swimmer's ear, is inflammation of the ear canal. It often presents with ear pain, swelling of the ear canal, and occasionally decreased hearing. Typically there is pain with movement of the outer ear. A high fever ...

in a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

. In 2013 the same group (with Hijazin, Sammra, and others) reported that ''A. phocisimile'' sp. nov. had been isolated from

harbor seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared sea ...

s. In 2015, the same group (with Sammra and others) reported that ''A. pinnipediorum'' sp. nov. had also been isolated from a harbor seal.

Species

* '' A. bovis'' Sammra ''et al''. 2020 * '' A. canis'' Hijazin ''et al''. 2012 * '' A. haemolyticum'' (''ex'' MacLean ''et al''. 1946) Collins ''et al''. 1983 * '' A. hippocoleae'' Hoyles ''et al''. 2002 * "'' A. ihumii''" Fall ''et al''. 2019 * '' A. phocae'' Pascual Ramos ''et al''. 1997 * '' A. phocisimile'' Hijazin ''et al''. 2013 * '' A. pinnipediorum'' Sammra ''et al''. 2015 * '' A. pluranimalium'' Lawson ''et al''. 2001 * "'' A. urinimassiliense''" Diop ''et al''. 2017 * '' A. wilhelmae'' Sammra ''et al''. 2017

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q631663 Bacteria genera Actinomycetales