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Title: AMYCOLATOPSIS KENTUCKYENSIS SP. NOV., AMYCOLATOPSIS LEXINGTONENSIS SP. NOV., AND AMYCOLATOPSIS PRETORIENSIS SP. NO.: NEW SPECIES ISOLATED FROM EQUINE PLACENTAS

Author
item Labeda, David
item DONAHUE, J - UNIV OF KENTUCKY
item WILLIAMS, N - UNIV OF KENTUCKY
item SELLS, S - UNIV OF KENTUCKY
item HENTON, M - GOLDEN VETLAB, S. AFRICA

Submitted to: International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/20/2003
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: A new type of infection of the placenta in horses has been observed in Kentucky which can sometimes results in loss of the foal. This type of infection has been fairly low in number, usually no more than 20 infected mares each year, but numbers of infected horses has been seen to increase markedly during some years. Several different bacteria that grow as branching filaments have been isolated from infected animals and the predominant bacterium was recently identified as a new species, Crossiella equi. The majority of the other bacteria isolated from infected placentas have been determined to be members of the genus Amycolatopsis based on the sequence of the ribosomal RNA gene. A detailed study of the physiological and morphological characteristics of several of the equine bacteria, including one isolated from a horse in South Africa, compared them to described species of Amycolatopsis and proved that they belong to new species for which the names Amycolatopsis kentuckensis, Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis, and Amycolatopsis pretoriensis are proposed. The formal descriptions of these new species will be of great use to other scientists and veterinarians who are dealing with infections of the reproductive system in horses.

Technical Abstract: Actinomycete strains isolated from lesions on equine placentas from two horses in Kentucky and one in South Africa were subjected to polyphasic taxonomic identification. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences the isolates are most closely related to Amycolatopsis mediterranei. Chemotaxonomic and morphological characteristics indicated that the isolates are members of the genus Amycolatopsis. The physiological characteristics of these strains indicated that they are not A. mediterranei, and DNA relatedness determinations confirmed that these strains represent 3 new species of the genus Amycolatopsis for which the names Amycolatopsis kentuckensis (type strain = NRRL B-24129T), Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis (type strain = NRRL B-24131T), and Amycolatopsis pretoriensis (type strain = NRRL B-24133T) are proposed.