In 1988, the genus Tsukamurella was created to identify rare bacteria that had very long carbon chains, an average of 64 carbons, was aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, and weak or variable acid-fast. In the 1990’s, an aerobic bacterium, found in soil, was proposed to become a member of the Tsukamurella genus. This bacterium was named Tsukamurella wratislaviensis. However, through a series of experiments, scientists discovered that T. wratislaviensis actually belonged in the genus Rhodococcus.
The genus Tsukamurella is known for causing chronic lung disease, immune suppression (which increases the risk of leukemia), tumors, HIV-infection, and post-operative wound infections. It is also known for causing a lung infection that mimics tuberculosis. This is because the bacterium included in Tsukamurella grows in soil, water, and sludge. Therefore, it can become gram-positive bacteria in drinking water. One bacterium, in particular, that contaminates drinking water is Tsukamurella wratislaviensis. However, T. wratislaviensis has never been confirmed as a threat to humans [1].
The genus Rhodococcus has characteristics of being aerobic and gram positive. T. wratlaviensis has both of these properties. Rhodococcus grows in soil and is non motile and acid fast. Other characteristics of this genus are rough, smooth, or mucoid growth in colors ranging from: buff, gray, cream, yellow, orange, to red. T. wratlaviensis is rough and gray and gram positive just as the genus characteristics [2].
Tsukamurella wratislaviensis is an aerobic and gram positive bacterium found in soil. It is usually about 3mm in diameter, gray, and rough with uniformed raises in its surface. It is gram positive like the Tsukamurella genus bacterium. Unlike the other bacterium in its genus, T. wratislaviensis is round in cocci form rather than rod-shaped. It can also live off of alkane sufonates as a source of carbon [1].
Due to its ability to live off of alkanes, such as pentane, Tsukamurella wratislaviensis may be useful in purifying water. T. wratislaviensis has been used in many experiments to see if it could degrade methyl-tert Butyl ether, a gasoline additive used to promote combustion efficiency and to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the air. However, it can leak from cars and contaminate water supplies. Unfortunately, T. wratislaviensis is fairly ineffective by itself in breaking down methyl-tert butyl ether, but scientists are working on methods of mixing T. wratislaviensis and other bacterium to break down the methyl-tert-butyl ether compounds in water [3].
After closer examination of T. wratislaviensis, scientists found that it was not a Tsukamurella compound like most had believed. Even though T. wratlaviensis shares many characteristics of the genus Tsukamurella, it also had properties that were dissimilar to the genus. For example, Tsukamurella compounds are typically 5mm in diameter while T. wratlaviensis is about 3mm in diameter. T. wratislaviensis is uniformly raised and grows only on the surface of agar, while Tsukamurella compounds are flat and slightly raised in one third to one half of the colony center. T. wratislaviensiss is also non-resistant to lysozyme, while the genus Tsukamurella is resistant to lysozyme. T. wratislaviensis was found to be positive for L-valyl-2nathylamid and L-cystyl-2naphthylamide and negative for 2-naphthylphospahee, 2-naphthylcaprylate, bromo-2 naphthyl, yet the other species of Tsukamurella are not. Investigations of T. wratislaviensis DNA showed only 99.6 % of the DNA to be related to the genus Tsukamurella. However, it was shown to have similar structures as bacteria in the genus Rhodococcus. After further investigation, T. wratislaviensis was determined to have 99.7% of the DNA of bacteria in the genus Rhodococcus. Therefore, Tsukamurella wratlaviensis’ name was changed to Rhodococcus wratlaviensis. So, when looking up the bacterium, either name can be used to t research it [4].
Tsukamurella wratlaviensis is also known as Rhodococcus wratlaviensis, it has characteristics of both genuses but after extensive experimentation, it was proved to belong to the Rhodococcus genus (due to DNA specification). Despite the name change, Tsukamurella wratlaviensis/Rhodococcus wratlaviensis may in the future be useful in degrading alkanes in water resulting in a cleaner water supply.
*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
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