Devriesea agamarum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium associated with dermatitis and septicaemia in agamid lizards

Abstract

Devriesea agamarum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium associated with dermatitis and septicaemia in agamid lizards Desert-dwelling lizards belonging to the genera Agama and Uromastyx and inhabiting North African steppe and desert areas are nowadays kept and bred in captivity in Europe. Not infrequently, these animals suffer from skin infections, which may develop into septicaemia. Coryneform bacteria are frequently associated with these lesions either as causative agents or as complicating factors (Pasmans et al., 2008). In the present communication, a description is given of five bacterial isolates from saurian skin lesions that have been shown to belong to a new genus.Strain IMP1 was recovered from a male Agama impalearis with proliferative dermatitis lesions. Strain IMP2 T was isolated from the liver of a female Agama impalearis that died from proliferative dermatitis lesions. Three strains were recovered from Uromastyx species: UGE1 and UAC1 were isolated from cheylitis lesions from Uromastyx geyri and Uromastyx acanthinura, respectively; and UGE2 was isolated from bone marrow of another Uromastyx geyri, which died after showing dermatitis lesions.Strains were isolated by culturing swabs on Columbia agar with 5 % sheep blood (Oxoid). This medium was also used to determine the effect of temperature on growth at 25, 30 and 37 u C and to examine growth under aerobic, microaerophilic (5 % CO 2 atmosphere) and anaerobic conditions. Gram staining was performed with reagents produced by bioMérieux. Acid fastness was determined by Ziehl-Neelsen staining (Lanyi, 1987). Catalase and oxidase activities and NaCl tolerance were examined by standard methods as described by Lanyi (1987). The API 20 Strep, API 50 CH test and API Coryne identification systems (bioMérieux) were used for determination of additional biochemical characteristics. All five isolates grew well on Columbia agar with 5 % sheep blood at 37 u C under aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic conditions. The strains were also able to grow at 25 and 30 u C and, to a lesser extent, at 42 u C. They formed smooth, mucoid, whitish, small colonies surrounded by a narrow zone of haemolysis. They were positive when tested with 3 % H 2 O 2 and consisted of non-sporulating Gram-positive short rods. The five isolates showed an identical biochemical profile, which is given in the species description. All five isolates were categorized as 'unidentified' by all three commercially available identification systems used.Abbreviation: m-Dpm, meso-diaminopimelic acid.The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain IMP2T is EU009865.

Sex-specific asymmetry within the cloacal microbiota of the striped plateau lizard, Sceloporus virgatus

“…In contrast to our ecological perspective, most research investigating the relationship between microbes and reptiles has focused on disease-associated species of bacteria (e.g., Martel et al 2008). There is relatively little known of the symbiotic gut or cloacal microbiota of reptiles other than a few studies with free-ranging Mexican beaded lizards (Espinosa-Aviles et al 2008), sea turtles (Phillott et al 2002), and captive crocodiles (Ma et al 2008).…”

Prolonged environmental persistence requires efficient disinfection procedures to control Devriesea agamarum-associated disease in lizards

“…Dermal crusts were obtained from two captive dab lizards ( Uromastyx acanthinura ) suffering from D. agamarum ‐related cheilitis and severe dermatitis. Devriesea agamarum was isolated from the collected crusts, and both isolates were identified as D. agamarum based on morphological aspects, API ® Coryne, API ® 20 STREP, API ® 50 CH (bioMérieux, Marcy l’etoile, France) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Martel et al. 2008).…”

“…While actinomycetes form spores or other structures, which could be considered as environmentally resistant resting structures, this has not been demonstrated in other Actinobacteria, such as coryneform bacteria (Boylen and Mulks 1978; Chen et al. 2004; Martel et al. 2008).…”

“…Chronic proliferative dermatitis caused by Devriesea agamarum is one of the most frequently diagnosed diseases in dab (genus Uromastyx ) and other desert dwelling lizards, compromising successful captive maintenance of certain saurian taxa (Martel et al. 2008; Hellebuyck et al.…”

Anatomy and Disorders of the Oral Cavity of Reptiles and Amphibians

“…Although primarily a dermatological problem, infection with the gram positive rod, Devriesia agamarum may result in significant cheilitis in some species, especially spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx spp) 20 (Fig. 9).…”