''Pluralibacter gergoviae'' (formerly ''Enterobacter gergoviae'') is a

Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wall ...

, motile, facultatively-anaerobic,

rod-shaped A bacillus (), also called a bacilliform bacterium or often just a rod (when the context makes the sense clear), is a rod-shaped bacterium or archaeon. Bacilli are found in many different taxonomic groups of bacteria. However, the name ''Bacillu ...

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

. ''P. gergoviae'' is of special interest to the cosmetics industry, as it displays resistance to

parabens Parabens are a class of widely used preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Chemically, they are a series of parahydroxybenzoates or esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid (also known as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid). Parabens are effective p ...

, a common antimicrobial agent added to cosmetic products.

Background

''Enterobacter gergoviae'' was first proposed as a novel species in 1980. The species name is derived from the

Gergovie plateau The Gergovie plateau is a plateau of the Massif Central located 10 km to the south of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France and is named after the nearby village of Gergovie. It is the site of the Battle of Gergovia between Verc ...

, which is located near Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital; the type strain was isolated at this hospital during a

nosocomial A hospital-acquired infection, also known as a nosocomial infection (from the Greek , meaning "hospital"), is an infection that is acquired in a hospital or other health care facility. To emphasize both hospital and nonhospital settings, it is ...

outbreak of ''P. gergoviae.'' In 2013, the species was reclassified into the novel genus, ''

Pluralibacter ''Pluralibacter'' is a genus of Gram negative bacteria from the family of Enterobacteriaceae. The genus consists of two species, ''P. gergoviae'' and ''P. pyrinus''. Both species were originally classified in the genus ''Enterobacter ''Enterob ...

'', and is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

for the genus. ''Pluralibacter gergoviae'' has been isolated from maize, grapes, coffee beans, spring water,

fruit flies Fruit fly may refer to: Organisms * Drosophilidae, a family of small flies, including: ** ''Drosophila'', the genus of small fruit flies and vinegar flies ** ''Drosophila melanogaster'' or common fruit fly ** ''Drosophila suzukii'' or Asian fruit ...

, and

pink bollworm The pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella''; es, lagarta rosada) is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming. The adult is a small, thin, gray moth with fringed wings. The larva is a dull white caterpillar with eight pairs of legs w ...

s. It is an uncommon human pathogen, most commonly as an opportunistic nosocomial infection. One hospital in Spain reported the organism to represent 0.4% of clinical ''

Enterobacter ''Enterobacter'' is a genus of common Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is the type genus of the order Enterobacterales. Several strains of these bacteria are pat ...

'' isolates. Risk factors include prolonged hospital stays, "immunosuppression, the presence of a foreign device, prior use of anti-microbial agents in the patient involved, and extremes of age." In the

cosmetic industry The cosmetic industry describes the industry that manufactures and distributes cosmetic products. These include colour cosmetics, like foundation and mascara, skincare such as moisturisers and cleansers, haircare such as shampoos, conditioners a ...

, ''P. gergoviae'' has been implicated in recalls of eye cream, children's shampoo, skin cream, hand cleaning paste, and cleansing wipes. ''Pluralibacter gergoviae'' is resistant to

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...

s (specifically

benzylpenicillin Benzylpenicillin, also known as penicillin G (PenG) or BENPEN, and in military slang "Peanut Butter Shot" is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections. This includes pneumonia, strep throat, syphilis, necrotizing enterocolitis ...

oxacillin Oxacillin (trade name Bactocill) is a narrow-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic of the penicillin class developed by Beecham. It was patented in 1960 and approved for medical use in 1962. Medical uses Oxacillin is a penicillinase-resistant β-la ...

macrolides The Macrolides are a class of natural products that consist of a large macrocyclic lactone ring to which one or more deoxy sugars, usually cladinose and desosamine, may be attached. The lactone rings are usually 14-, 15-, or 16-membered. Macro ...

(with the exception of

azithromycin Azithromycin, sold under the brand names Zithromax (in oral form) and Azasite (as an eye drop), is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumon ...

lincosamides Lincosamides are a class of antibiotics, which include lincomycin, clindamycin, and pirlimycin. Structure Lincosamides consist of a pyrrolidine ring linked to a pyranose moiety (methylthio-lincosamide) via an amide bond. Hydrolysis of lincos ...

(specifically

lincomycin Lincomycin is a lincosamide antibiotic that comes from the actinomycete ''Streptomyces lincolnensis''. A related compound, clindamycin, is derived from lincomycin by using thionyl chloride to replace the 7-hydroxy group with a chlorine atom with ...

and

clindamycin Clindamycin is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections, including osteomyelitis (bone) or joint infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, strep throat, pneumonia, acute otitis media (middle ear infec ...

streptogramins Streptogramins are a class of antibiotics. Streptogramins are effective in the treatment of vancomycin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (VRSA) and vancomycin-resistant ''Enterococcus'' (VRE), two of the most rapidly growing strains of multidru ...

rifampicin Rifampicin, also known as rifampin, is an ansamycin antibiotic used to treat several types of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB), mycobacterium avium complex, ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex, leprosy, and Legionnaires’ disease. ...

, fusidic acid, and

fosfomycin Fosfomycin, sold under the brand name Monurol among others, is an antibiotic primarily used to treat lower UTI. It is not indicated for kidney infections. Occasionally it is used for prostate infections. It is generally taken by mouth. Common ...

. ''P. gergoviae'' is also resistant to

cefoxitin Cefoxitin is a second-generation cephamycin antibiotic developed by Merck & Co., Inc. from Cephamycin C in the year following its discovery, 1972. It was synthesized in order to create an antibiotic with a broader spectrum. It is often grouped w ...

, likely due to

β-lactamase Beta-lactamases, (β-lactamases) are enzymes () produced by bacteria that provide multi-resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamycins, monobactams and carbapenems ( ertapenem), although carbapenems ...

production.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q12180554 Enterobacteriaceae Gram-negative bacteria