Professor Imikyung's Team at Chung-Ang University Hospital Discovers New Bacterial Strain Isolated from Pediatric Blood

Naming of 'Arsenicicoccus cauae'
Reported in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology

Electron microscope image of Arsenicicoccus cauae.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Domestic researchers have discovered a new bacterial species previously unknown to the academic community in the blood of a child.

The research team led by Professors Lee Mi-kyung and Kwon Oh-ju from the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Chung-Ang University Hospital recently confirmed for the first time that a 'Gram stain-positive bacterium' isolated from the blood of a child who visited the emergency room with fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain is a new bacterial species, the team announced on the 13th.

The research team named the species "Arsenicicoccus cauae," combining the English initials of Chung-Ang University (CAU) and the Chinese character pronunciation of the word for love (愛, Ae), registered the species name, and deposited the strain at the National Culture Collection for Pathogens (NCCP) in Korea and the Japan Collection of Microorganisms (JCM) under the RIKEN BioResource Research Center in Japan.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Professor Imi Kyung (left) and Professor Kwon Ohju.

Arsenicicoccus cauae is a slow-growing Gram-positive coccus. Biochemical characteristic tests, protein analysis, and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing were insufficient for precise species identification, so whole genome sequencing was performed, confirming it as a newly isolated species worldwide for the first time.

Professor Lee Mi-kyung stated, "The newly identified species, isolated from a child's blood, is significant because it was confirmed as a new species through whole genome sequencing using next-generation sequencing technology, which can accurately identify bacteria that conventional methods cannot. Currently, whole genome analysis using next-generation sequencing is increasingly being attempted in clinical microbiology, and it is expected that there will be many changes in species classification and identification in the future."

The research paper analyzing the species name and strain characteristics was published in the May issue of the SCI-level journal International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM).

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