Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, mucin-degrading bacterium isolated from the digestive tract of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana
Taxonomy paper published in International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (2015)
Abstract
Three anaerobic bacterial strains were isolated from the digestive tract of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana, using mucin as the primary carbon and energy source. These strains, designated M3(T), M4 and M6, were Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming and non-motile. Cells were elongated bacilli approximately 2.4 µm long and 0.6 µm wide. Growth only occurred anaerobically under mesophilic and neutral pH conditions. All three strains could utilize multiple simple and complex sugars as carbon sources, with glucose fermented to acid by-products. The DNA G+C contents of strains M3(T), M4 and M6 were 44.9, 44.8 and 44.8 mol%, respectively. The major cellular fatty acid of strain M3(T) was iso-C15 : 0. Phylogenetic analysis of full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the three strains shared >99 % similarity with each other and represent a new lineage within the family Rikenellaceae of the order Bacteroidales, phylum Bacteroidetes. The most closely related bacteria to strain M3(T) based on 16S rRNA gene sequences were Rikenella microfusus DSM 15922(T) (87.3 % similarity) and Alistipes finegoldii AHN 2437(T) (87.4 %). On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and physiological evidence, strains M3(T), M4 and M6 are proposed as representing a novel species of a new genus within the family Rikenellaceae, for which the name Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Mucinivorans hirudinis is M3(T) ( = ATCC BAA-2553(T) = DSM 27344(T)).
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Description of Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov., the first cultured representative of the previously known Rikenella-like dominant symbiont of the medicinal leech crop, marking a major advance after 20+ years of culture attempts.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio describe el aislamiento y la caracterización taxonómica de tres cepas bacterianas anaerobias degradadoras de mucina (M3(T), M4, M6) aisladas del tubo digestivo de la sanguijuela medicinal Hirudo verbana. A partir de evidencia fenotípica, genotípica y fisiológica —incluyendo la secuenciación del gen ARNr 16S, el contenido de G+C del ADN (~44,9 mol%) y el análisis de ácidos grasos— los autores proponen estas cepas como una nueva especie y un nuevo género, Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov., dentro de la familia Rikenellaceae (filo Bacteroidetes). Este trabajo es indirectamente relevante para el ámbito de la investigación sobre sanguijuelas, ya que la caracterización de la microbiota intestinal de la sanguijuela contribuye a comprender la ecología microbiana de las sanguijuelas medicinales y puede informar futuros estudios sobre las relaciones simbionte-huésped o el riesgo de infección. Sin embargo, se trata exclusivamente de un artículo de taxonomía y fisiología sin datos clínicos, terapéuticos o de hirudoterapia directa, y no se comunican hallazgos de patogenicidad ni de resistencia a antibióticos.
Citación
Mucinivorans hirudinis gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, mucin-degrading bacterium isolated from the digestive tract of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana.
Nelson MC, Bomar L, Maltz M, Graf J · International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology, 2015
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 26, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026