Gordonia (bacterium)

{{Other uses|Gordonia (disambiguation){{!}}Gordonia}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| taxon = Gordonia (bacterium)

| authority = (ex Tsukamura 1971) Stackebrandt et al. 1989

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text.

| synonyms =

"Gordona" Tsukamura 1971
Gordona (ex Tsukamura 1971) Stackebrandt et al. 1989

}}

Gordonia is a genus of gram-positive to gram-variable, aerobic, catalase-positive bacterium in the Actinomycetota,{{Cite journal |last1=Andalibi |first1=Fatemeh |last2=Fatahi-Bafghi |first2=Mehdi |date=2017-05-01 |title=Gordonia: isolation and identification in clinical samples and role in biotechnology |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-017-0491-1 |journal=Folia Microbiologica |language=en |volume=62 |issue=3 |pages=245–252 |doi=10.1007/s12223-017-0491-1 |pmid=28105601 |s2cid=43621276 |issn=1874-9356}} closely related to the Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium, Skermania, and Nocardia genera. Gordonia bacteria are non-motile, and non-sporulating. Gordonia is from the same lineage that includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis.{{cite journal|last1=Arenskotter|first1=M.|last2=Broker|first2=D.|last3=Steinbuchel|first3=A.|title=Biology of the Metabolically Diverse Genus Gordonia|journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology|date=2004|volume=70|issue=6|pages=3195–3204|doi=10.1128/AEM.70.6.3195-3204.2004|pmid=15184112|pmc=427784|bibcode=2004ApEnM..70.3195A}}

The genus was discovered by Tsukamura in 1971 and named after American bacteriologist Ruth Gordon. Many species are often found in the soil, while other species have been isolated from aquatic environments. Some species have been associated with problems like sludge bulking and foaming in wastewater treatment plants.{{Cite journal |last=Asvapathanagul |first=Pitiporn |last2=Huang |first2=Zhonghua |last3=Gedalanga |first3=Phillip B. |last4=Baylor |first4=Amber |last5=Olson |first5=Betty H. |date=December 2012 |title=Interaction of Operational and Physicochemical Factors Leading to Gordonia amarae-Like Foaming in an Incompletely Nitrifying Activated Sludge Plant |url=https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AEM.00404-12 |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology |language=en |volume=78 |issue=23 |pages=8165–8175 |doi=10.1128/AEM.00404-12 |issn=0099-2240 |pmc=3497385 |pmid=22983974}}{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=Mei |last2=Gill |first2=Jason J. |last3=Young |first3=Ry |last4=Summer |first4=Elizabeth J. |date=2015-09-09 |title=Bacteriophages of wastewater foaming-associated filamentous Gordonia reduce host levels in raw activated sludge |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/srep13754 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=13754 |doi=10.1038/srep13754 |issn=2045-2322|hdl=1969.1/178664 |hdl-access=free }} Gordonia species are rarely known to cause infections in humans.{{Cite journal |last1=Ramanan |first1=Poornima |last2=Deziel |first2=Paul J. |last3=Wengenack |first3=Nancy L. |date=October 2013 |title=Gordonia Bacteremia |journal=Journal of Clinical Microbiology |volume=51 |issue=10 |pages=3443–3447 |doi=10.1128/JCM.01449-13 |issn=0095-1137 |pmc=3811652 |pmid=23884999}}

Some pathogenic instances of Gordonia have been reported to cause skin and soft tissue infections, including bacteremia and cutaneous infections. Though infections are generally treated with antibiotics, surgical procedures are sometimes used to contain infections.{{Citation |last1=Sowani |first1=H. |title=Chapter 7 - Gordonia and Related Genera as Opportunistic Human Pathogens Causing Infections of Skin, Soft Tissues, and Bones |date=2017-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128110799000070 |work=The Microbiology of Skin, Soft Tissue, Bone and Joint Infections |volume=2 |pages=105–121 |editor-last=Kon |editor-first=Kateryna |access-date=2023-04-26 |series=Clinical Microbiology: Diagnosis, Treatments and Prophylaxis of Infections |publisher=Academic Press |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-811079-9.00007-0 |isbn=9780128110799 |last2=Kulkarni |first2=M. |last3=Zinjarde |first3=S. |last4=Javdekar |first4=V. |editor2-last=Rai |editor2-first=Mahendra}} Some investigations have found that 28 °C is the ideal temperature for the growth of Gordonia bacteria. Gordonia species often have high G-C base pair contents in DNA, ranging from 63% to 69%.

Some species of Gordonia, such as Gordonia rubripertincta, produce colonies that have a bright orange or orange-red color.

Some strains of Gordonia have recently garnered interest in the biotechnology industry due to their ability to degrade environmental pollutants.{{Cite journal |last=Drzyzga |first=Oliver |date=2012-11-01 |title=The strengths and weaknesses of Gordonia: A review of an emerging genus with increasing biotechnological potential |url=https://doi.org/10.3109/1040841X.2012.668134 |journal=Critical Reviews in Microbiology |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=300–316 |doi=10.3109/1040841X.2012.668134 |pmid=22551505 |s2cid=29015627 |issn=1040-841X}}

Cases of pathogenicity

Gordonia bronchialis has occasionally shown pathogenicity, infecting sternal wounds from surgery.{{Cite journal |last1=Arenskötter |first1=Matthias |last2=Bröker |first2=Daniel |last3=Steinbüchel |first3=Alexander |date=June 2004 |title=Biology of the Metabolically Diverse Genus Gordonia |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology |language=en |volume=70 |issue=6 |pages=3195–3204 |doi=10.1128/AEM.70.6.3195-3204.2004 |issn=0099-2240 |pmc=427784 |pmid=15184112}} However, since G. bronchialis infections can present with minimal and mild symptoms, few reports of G. bronchialis infections have been documented.{{Cite journal |last1=Franczuk |first1=Monika |last2=Klatt |first2=Magdalena |last3=Filipczak |first3=Dorota |last4=Zabost |first4=Anna |last5=Parniewski |first5=Paweł |last6=Kuthan |first6=Robert |last7=Jakubowska |first7=Lilia |last8=Augustynowicz-Kopeć |first8=Ewa |date=February 2022 |title=From NTM (Nontuberculous mycobacterium) to Gordonia bronchialis—A Diagnostic Challenge in the COPD Patient |journal=Diagnostics |language=en |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=307 |doi=10.3390/diagnostics12020307 |issn=2075-4418 |pmc=8871261 |pmid=35204397 |doi-access=free }}

Gordonia can infect immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.

Environmental applications

Gordonia species are able to degrade various environmental pollutants toxins and other natural compounds that cannot regularly be biodegraded. Two common materials, natural and synthetic isoprene rubber (cis-1,4-polyisoprene), can be biodegraded and used as a carbon and energy source by Gordonia. Gordonia are commonly detected in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants, where they along with other mycolic acid containing actinomycetes are well known contributors to sludge foaming issues that impede biomass settling and process performance.{{Cite journal |last=de los Reyes III |first=Francis L. |last2=Raskin |first2=Lutgarde |date=2002-01-01 |title=Role of filamentous microorganisms in activated sludge foaming: relationship of mycolata levels to foaming initiation and stability |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135401002275 |journal=Water Research |series=Modern Scientific Tools in Bioprocessing |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=445–459 |doi=10.1016/S0043-1354(01)00227-5 |issn=0043-1354}}{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=Mei |last2=Gill |first2=Jason J. |last3=Young |first3=Ry |last4=Summer |first4=Elizabeth J. |date=2015-09-09 |title=Bacteriophages of wastewater foaming-associated filamentous Gordonia reduce host levels in raw activated sludge |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/srep13754 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=13754 |doi=10.1038/srep13754 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=4563357 |pmid=26349678}}

''Gordonia'' as a [[bacteriophage]] host

Gordonia species are also being studied as hosts to bacteriophages, or bacteria-parasitizing viruses. Because of their relatedness to Mycobacterium, Gordonia were used as hosts in the SEA-PHAGES project,{{Cite journal |last=Pope |first=Welkin H. |last2=Mavrich |first2=Travis N. |last3=Garlena |first3=Rebecca A. |last4=Guerrero-Bustamante |first4=Carlos A. |last5=Jacobs-Sera |first5=Deborah |last6=Montgomery |first6=Matthew T. |last7=Russell |first7=Daniel A. |last8=Warner |first8=Marcie H. |last9=Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) |last10=Hatfull |first10=Graham F. |date=2017-09-06 |editor-last=Losick |editor-first=Richard |others=Forest Rohwer, Jason Gill |title=Bacteriophages of Gordonia spp. Display a Spectrum of Diversity and Genetic Relationships |url=https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.01069-17 |journal=mBio |language=en |volume=8 |issue=4 |doi=10.1128/mBio.01069-17 |issn=2161-2129 |pmc=5559632 |pmid=28811342}} greatly contributing to the number of isolated Gordonia phages. According to the Actinobacteriophage Database PhagesDb.org, more than 2,806 Gordonia-infecting types of bacteriophages have been identified as of April 26, 2023.{{Cite web |date=April 26, 2023 |title=Phaages that infect Gordonia hosts |url=https://phagesdb.org/hosts/genera/6/ |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=The Actinobacteriophage Database at PhagesDB.org}} Research with bacteriophages parasitizing Gordonia and other genera can be used to develop bacteriophage therapies for drug-resistant human, animal, and plant bacterial infections; contamination prevention in food processing facilities; targeted gene delivery; and more.{{Cite journal |last1=Haq |first1=Irshad Ul |last2=Chaudhry |first2=Waqas Nasir |last3=Akhtar |first3=Maha Nadeem |last4=Andleeb |first4=Saadia |last5=Qadri |first5=Ishtiaq |date=2012-01-10 |title=Bacteriophages and their implications on future biotechnology: a review |journal=Virology Journal |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=9 |doi=10.1186/1743-422X-9-9 |issn=1743-422X |pmc=3398332 |pmid=22234269 |doi-access=free }}

Species

Gordonia comprises the following species:{{cite web|vauthors=Euzéby JP, Parte AC |url=https://lpsn.dsmz.de/genus/gordonia |title=Gordonia |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)}}