Differential Characteristics of Strains of Rochalimaea: Rochalimaea vinsonii sp. nov., the Canadian Vole Agent

Abstract

A series of comparative studies was carried out on the Fuller and Guadalupe strains of Rochalimaea quintana and the vole agent described by Baker in 1946. No differences were encountered between the two strains of R. quintana. The vole agent resembled R. quintana in most of its phenotypic characteristics, but, in contrast to R. quintana, did not require CO2 for growth, catabolized glutamate without an added energy-yielding substrate, and autoagglutinated. Comparisons of the migration patterns of various protein fractions in gels by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, line-rocket immunoelectrophoresis, and enzyme-specific staining confirmed the identity of the two strains of R. quintana and their similarity to the vole agent. Although many of the proteins had the same function as enzymes in R. quintana and the vole agent or reacted equally well with both homologous and heterologous sera, they migrated at different rates in the gels. Therefore, on the basis of this and previously reported evidence, we propose that the vole agent be named Rochalimaea vinsonii sp. nov. This name honors J. William Vinson, who, in collaboration with Henry S. Fuller, established that R. quintana can be grown axenically and initiated studies of the genus Rochalimaea by conventional bacteriological techniques. The type strain of R. vinsonii is ATCC VR-152.