Treponema innocens, a New Species of Intestinal Bacteria, and Emended Description of the Type Strain of Treponema hyodysenteriae Harris et al.

Abstract

Twelve treponemes with serpentine morphology were isolated from pigs and dogs and were compared with strain B78, the type strain of T. hyodysenteriae Harris et al. Nine of the 12 were isolated from cases of swine dysentery, and these were similar in characteristics to strain B78. The 3 other isolates were not enteropathogenic for swine and could be differentiated from the aforementioned 9 isolates on the basis of enteropathogenicity, hemolytic pattern, DNA homology, fructose fermentation and indole production. The morphological and metabolic characters of the 12 isolates and an emended description of strain B78, the type strain of T. hyodysenteriae, are presented in this report. Based on these data, the nonpathogenic types are regarded as belonging to a new species, T. innocens. The type strain of T. innocens is strain B256 (= ATCC 29796).