Document Type
Article
Publication Date
June 2011
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0021280
Keywords
TM7 Bacteria, Human-associated Pathogen, 16S rDNA, jsPhyloSVG
Disciplines
Microbiology
Abstract
We have identified an environmental bacterium in the Candidate Division TM7 with ≥98.5% 16S rDNA gene homology to a group of TM7 bacteria associated with the human oral cavity and skin. The environmental TM7 bacterium (referred to as TM7a-like) was readily detectable in wastewater with molecular techniques over two years of sampling. We present the first images of TM7a-like cells through FISH technique and the first images of any TM7 as viable cells through the STARFISH technique. In situ quantification showed TM7 concentration in wastewater up to five times greater than in human oral sites. We speculate that upon further characterization of the physiology and genetics of the TM7a-like bacterium from environmental sources and confirmation of its genomic identity to human-associated counterparts it will serve as model organisms to better understand its role in human health. The approach proposed circumvents difficulties imposed by sampling humans, provides an alternative strategy to characterizing some diseases of unknown etiology, and renders a much needed understanding of the ecophysiological role hundreds of unique Bacteria and Archaea strains play in mixed microbial communities.
Recommended Citation
Dinis JM, Barton DE, Ghadiri J, Surendar D, Reddy K, et al. (2011) In Search of an Uncultured Human-Associated TM7 Bacterium in the Environment. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21280. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021280
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Published in PLoS ONE and available online here.
© 2011 Dinis et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.