New to Science: The latest discoveries from around the world
Starting off deep in the Pacific Ocean, researchers have discovered a novel species of methanogen, anaerobic archaea that produce methane, while sampling hydrothermal fluid in a deep sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason II. Methanogens in the order Methanococcales are the more common archaea found in hydrothermal vents. The novel Methanothermococcus jasoni is autotrophic, coccoidal and autofluorescent, the proposed name referencing the ROV from which it was discovered.
Crossing back over the Atlantic, four novel species closely related to Gardnerella vaginalis - a bacterium associated with bacterial vaginosis - were identified from clinical vaginal and blood samples taken in Marseille, France. Originally identified as other Gardnerella species, further analysis revealed distinctive profiles as Gardnerella lacydonensis, Gardnerella bretellae, Gardnerella massiliensis, and Gardnerella phocaeensis. All species are non-spore-forming, anaerobic, and non-motile coccobacilli, similar to Gardnerella vaginalis.
Our next novel microbe joins a phylum of one, expanding our current understanding of the under-represented Adbitibacteriota. Its first member, Abditibacterium utsteinense, was first isolated in 2017 from East Antarctica. Contrastingly, its newest member, Arboribacterium acericorticis, was identified from the bark of a Japanese maple tree in Atami, Japan. The discovery follows recent reports of Adbitibacteriota sequences detected in bark across Europe and America. The confirmation of this new species prompts further investigation to better understand the ecology of this phylum in the bark environment.
From a small family to a big one, a whopping 13 novel species were isolated from glaciers in China and join the genus Variovorax. Glacier ecosystems harbour diverse cold-adapted microbes that can perform functions in biogeochemical cycles in the environment. As part of ongoing efforts to better understand glacial microbial diversity, the team sampled the sediment and ice of five different glaciers. Out of 17 isolated, 13 are proposed new species, all of which are Gram-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped. No member of the Variovorax genus has been identified in a glacial environment before, deepening our understanding of glacial microbial ecosystems.
Last but not least, our Microbe of the Month for April is Bartonella bennetti, a novel bacterial species isolated from the blood of field voles in Kielder Forest, located on the border of England and Scotland in Northumberland, UK. The genus Bartonella is a well-known group, with over 40 species. Most of these are haemoparasites of mammals, infecting and residing in the blood. Several of this genus have been known to transfer into humans, causing blood infections such as 'cat scratch disease' caused by Bartonella henselae. Genomic analysis supports that the novel B. bennetti is another such species, but with a narrow host speciality specific to the field vole.
