RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Baele, M. A1 Decostere, A. A1 Vandamme, P. A1 Van den Bulck, K. A1 Gruntar, I. A1 Mehle, J. A1 Mast, J. A1 Ducatelle, R. A1 Haesebrouck, F.YR 2008 T1 Helicobacter baculiformis sp. nov., isolated from feline stomach mucosa JF International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, VO 58 IS 2 SP 357 OP 364 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.65152-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1466-5034, AB A Gram-negative, microaerophilic slender rod, measuring approximately 10 μm long and approximately 1 μm wide, isolated from the gastric mucosa of a cat and designated strain M50T, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Despite its apparent lack of helical coils, the organism showed a corkscrew-like motion by means of multiple sheathed flagella located at both ends of the cell and by a periplasmic fibril coiled around the body. Strain M50T grew preferably on biphasic culture plates or on very moist agar. Coccoid forms predominated in cultures older than 4 days as well as in growth obtained on dry agar plates. The strain grew at 37 °C, but not at 25 or 42 °C and exhibited urease, oxidase and catalase activities. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the novel isolate was identified as a member of the genus Helicobacter and showed about 98 to 99 % sequence similarity to Helicobacter felis, Helicobacter bizzozeronii, Helicobacter salomonis, Helicobacter cynogastricus and ‘Candidatus Helicobacter heilmannii’, five highly related species previously detected in the feline or canine gastric mucosa. Protein profiling of strain M50T using SDS-PAGE revealed a pattern different from those of other Helicobacter species of mammalian gastric origin. Additionally, the urease and HSP60 gene sequences of strain M50T were different from those of H. felis, H. bizzozeronii, H. salomonis, H. cynogastricus and ‘Ca. H. heilmannii’. It is thus proposed that strain M50T (=LMG 23839T=CCUG 53816T) represents a novel species within this genus, for which the name Helicobacter baculiformis sp. nov. is proposed., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijs.0.65152-0