''Lonepinella koalarum'' is a species of

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...

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' ...

bacteria within the family

Pasteurellaceae The Pasteurellaceae comprise a large family of Gram-negative bacteria. Most members live as commensals on mucosal surfaces of birds and mammals, especially in the upper respiratory tract. Pasteurellaceae are typically rod-shaped, and are a notabl ...

. It is the only species described in the genus ''

Lonepinella ''Lonepinella'' is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic and tannase-producing genus of bacteria from the family of Pasteurellaceae with one known species ('' Lonepinella koalarum''). ''Lonepinella koalarum'' has been isolated from the faeces ...

'' and was first isolated from the feces of healthy

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

s (''Phascolarctos cinereus'') at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Queensland, Australia.Osawa, R. et al. (1995)
''Lonepinella koalarum'' gen. nov., sp. nov., a new tannin-protein complex degrading bacterium
''Systematic and Applied Microbiology'', 18(3), 368–373.

Morphology and physiology

''Lonepinella koalarum'' is a rod-shaped bacterium that grows optimally at approximately 37 °C on Columbia blood agar. It is

catalase Catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms exposed to oxygen (such as bacteria, plants, and animals) which catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. It is a very important enzyme in protecting ...

-negative, with variable

oxidase In biochemistry, an oxidase is an oxidoreductase (any enzyme that catalyzes a redox reaction) that uses dioxygen (O2) as the electron acceptor. In reactions involving donation of a hydrogen atom, oxygen is reduced to water (H2O) or hydrogen peroxid ...

activity reported.

Ecological role

''Lonepinella koalarum'' functions as a

symbiont Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

in koalas, primarily involved in degrading tannin-protein complexes in

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

leaves, which are a central dietary component for koalas.Dahlhausen, K.E. et al. (2020)
Isolation and sequence-based characterization of a koala symbiont: ''Lonepinella koalarum''
''PeerJ'', 8, e10177. Its presence supports healthy

gut microbiota Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the g ...

, particularly during antibiotic treatments.

Clinical significance

Though predominantly

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

in koalas, ''L. koalarum'' has been identified in wound infections in humans resulting from koala bites.Sinclair, H.A. et al. (2019)
Identification of ''Lonepinella'' sp. in koala bite wound infections, Queensland, Australia
''Emerging Infectious Diseases'', 25(1), 153–156. Standard microbiological tests often fail to detect this bacterium, requiring molecular methods such as

16S rRNA gene 16S ribosomal RNA (or 16 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 16S rRN ...

sequencing for accurate identification. Treatment usually involves surgical management coupled with antibiotic therapy.

References

External links

LPSN entry for ''Lonepinella koalarum''

BacDive entry for ''Lonepinella koalarum'' DSM 8617
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17365272 Gram-negative bacteria Pasteurellales