Volume 8, Number 2—February 2002
Perspective
Traditional and Molecular Techniques for the Study of Emerging Bacterial Diseases: One Laboratory’s Perspective
Pierre Houpikian and Didier Raoult
Table 1
Key steps that led to identification and demonstration of disease causation for emerging bacteriaa
| Group | Species | Clinical picture | Histologic detection | Serology | Molecular Detection (gene) | Culture system | Year of culture | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha1 Proteobacteria | ||||||||
| Ehrlichia chaffeensis | Fever, cytopenia | Smear | Antibodies to Ehrlichia canis] | 16S rRNA | Cell line (DH82) | 1991 | 5 | |
| E. ewingii | Fever, cytopenia | Smear | Western blot | 16S rRNA | Cell line | 1971 | 6 | |
| Human granulocytic Ehrlichia | Fever, cytopenia | Smear | Antibodies to E. phagocytophila, E. equis | 16S rRNA | Cell line (HeLa) | 1996 | 7 | |
| Rickettsia felis | Fever | gltA | Cell line (XTC-2) | 2000 | 8 | |||
| R. japonica] | Spotted fever | Antibodies to Spotted fever group rickettsiae | Cell line (Vero) | 1989 | 9 | |||
| R. mongolotimonae | Febrile rash | Antibodies to Spotted fever group rickettsiae | rOmpA | Embryonated egg, guinea pig | 1991 | 10 | ||
| R. slovaca | Fever, eschar, lymphadenitis | Specific antibodies | rOmpA | Cell line | 1968 | 11 | ||
| Alpha2 Proteobacteriae | ||||||||
| Afipia broomae | Wrist abscess | Axenic (specific) | 1981 | 12 | ||||
| A. clevelandensis | Osteitis | Axenic (specific) | 1988 | 12 | ||||
| Bartonella elizabethae | Endocarditis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1993 | 13 | ||||
| B. grahamii | Neuro-retinitis | Antibodies to B. henselae | 16S rRNA | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1995 | 14 | ||
| B. henselae | Fever, cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis | Tissue section | Specific antibodies | 16S rRNA | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1990 | 15,16 | |
| Beta Proteobacteriae | ||||||||
| Bordetella trematum | Chronic otitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1996 | 17 | ||||
| Neisseria weaveri | Infected wound | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1993 | 18 | ||||
| Spirochetae | ||||||||
| Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, B. garinii | Erythema chronicum migrans, acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, Lyme arthritis, neuro-borreliosis | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1981 | 19 | |||
| B. duttonii | Relapsing fever | Smear | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific), animal model | 1999 | 20 | ||
| B. recurrentis | Relapsing fever | Smear | Axenic (specific) | 1994 | 21 | |||
| Delta-Xi Proteobacteriae | ||||||||
| Campylobacter coli, C. jejuni | Febrile diarrhea | Specific antibodies | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1977 | 22 | |||
| Helicobacter cinaedi, H. fennelliae | Rectitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1984 | 23 | ||||
| H. heilmanii | Chronic gastritis | Tissue section | Mouse | 1989 | 24 | |||
| H. pylori | Gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcer | Tissue section | Specific antibodies | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1982 | 25 | ||
| Gamma Proteobacteriae | ||||||||
| Escherichia coli O48:H21, O103:H2, O157:H7 | Bloody diarrhea, HUS | slt | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1982-1996 | 26 | |||
| Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius | Brazilian purpuric fever | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1986 | 27 | ||||
| Legionella anisa | Pneumonia, Pontiac fever | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1989 | 28 | |||
| L. bozemanii | Pneumonia | Smear | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1983 | 29 | ||
| L. dumoffii | Pneumonia | Smear | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1978 | 29 | ||
| L. feeleii | Pneumonia, Pontiac fever | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1986 | 30 | |||
| L. micdadei | Pneumonia | Specific antibodies | Embryonated egg, guinea pig | 1979 | 29 | |||
| L. oakridgensis | Pneumonia | Smear | Specific antibodies | Axenic (specific) | 1987 | 29 | ||
| L. pneumophila | Pneumonia | Tissue section | Specific antibodies | Embryonated egg, Guinea pig | 1947 | 31 | ||
| Legionella like amoebal pathogen | Pneumonia | Specific antibodies | Amoeba | 1991 | 32 | |||
| Vibrio alginolyticus | Conjunctivitis, wound infection | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1977 | 33 | ||||
| V. cholerae O:139 | Diarrhea | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1992 | 33 | ||||
| V. fluvialis | Diarrhea | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1980 | 33 | ||||
| V. furnissii | Diarrhea | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1983 | 33 | ||||
| V. metschnikovii | Cholecystitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1981 | 33 | ||||
| V. mimicus | Diarrhea, otitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1981 | 33 | ||||
| Mycobacteria | ||||||||
| Mycobacterium asiaticum | Pneumopathy | Axenic (specific) | 1983 | 34 | ||||
| M. celatum | Pneumopathy | Axenic (specific) | 1992 | 34 | ||||
| M. genavense | Disseminated infection, lymphadenitis | Tissue section | Axenic (specific) | 1992 | 34 | |||
| M. malmoense | Pneumopathy, lymphadenitis | Axenic (specific) | 1977 | 34 | ||||
| M. simiae | Pneumopathy, osteitis, kidney infection | Axenic (specific) | 1984 | 34 | ||||
| Mycoplasmas | ||||||||
| M. fermentans | Pneumopathy, nephritis | Tissue section | Insertion sequence-like | Axenic (specific) | 1993 | 35 | ||
| M. genitalium | Urethritis | Smear | Adhesion protein | Axenic (specific), Animal model | 1981 | 35 | ||
| Gram-positive bacteria | ||||||||
| Tropheryma whipplei | Whipple disease | Tissue section | Specific antibodies | 16S rRNA | Cell line (HEL) | 2000 | 2,36 | |
| Corynebacterium auris | Acute otitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1995 | 37 | ||||
| Staphylococcus lugdunensis, S. schleiferi | Skin abscess, osteoarthritis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1988 | 38 | ||||
| Streptococcus iniae | Meningitis, endocarditis, cellulitis | Axenic (nonspecific) | 1995 | 39 | ||||
aHistologic detection can be performed with morphologic techniques, in blood or tissue smears, or in tissue sections. Serologic assays can detect specific antibodies to the suspected agent or to a related organism in tissues or in biological fluids. The year of the first isolation and the culture system used are indicated. HUS = hemolytic uremic syndrome. HLE=human embryonic lung fibroblasts; ref = reference.
